Chat Burglar
by missdragongirl
Summary: Kwami Swap AU. Marinette is a mysterious cat burglar, famous in Paris for her incredible thefts. No one knows her true identity, or what she is after. Her ultimate prize lies in Gabriel Argreste's safe, but what will happen if she is caught by the unassuming, lonely Adrien?
1. Into the House

**Hello! So, I'm new here, and this is my first story! I really hope you enjoy it. Reviews would be much appreciated. :)**

Chat!Mari Ladybug!Adrien Kwami!Swap  
Cat Burglar AU

Marinette slipped quiety onto her balcony. She smiled up at the moon as it illuminated her figure in its soft light.

She was dressed in a black shirt, with matching black tights. A black bag was slung across her shoulders, sagging slightly from the straps, hanging just above where her belt fell from her waist to form a tail. To complete her outfit she wore a mask, gloves and two cat ears set securely on top of her head.

She was a small girl, just 17, and she had already done more things that most adults had done in their whole lives.

Marinette walked slowly to the balcony and peered out across a sleeping Paris. She breathed in, out, in and out, her lips curving up into a smirk as she felt adrenaline surge through her.

But, she must be patient, for tonight was not the night. She ran her plan over in her mind, trying to find another fault that needed correcting. She nodded slowly. Yes, she was confident her plan would work.

Marinette placed her hand on the railing of the balcony and lightly vaulted over it, landing softly on the other side. With practised ease she paced to the edge of the roof and swiftly leapt over the alleyway to the next roof. As silently as the night, she slipped from one roof to the next, her mind intent on her prize.

For Marinette, otherwise known as Chat Noir, was a one girl rise in crime, and her name was known throughout Paris. She was a cat bugler, known for slipping in undetected, and leaving no trace. There had been no photos of her, only a grainy video, taken from a poorly placed security camera.

The news had gone crazy when the mysterious theif was revealed to be a teenage girl.

"Surely," they had thought, "Surely this burglar, who had a reputation for sneaking into highly survallienced areas should be a strapping young man who has come from elaite army training? The one who left stupid puns on lined paper and a fluro green pawprint at the crime scene? The one who's plans are so carefully thought out, who's mind can't be cracked by the best detectives in all of Paris? This genius, this mastermind, this increadible acrobat... is..is..a teenager?"

Marinette had been annoyed with herself at the slip. She had seen the offending camera, and had thought she had evaded its sight. Turns out it was an ancient one, with a bigger view finder, and her secret was out. She had been extra careful ever since, and even the newest, most technological security cameras hadn't captured her again.

But now was not the time to think of such things. Marinette made her way across Paris, seeing by the starlight and the city lights below her. She passed the Eiffel Tower, heading for the richer side of the city. She alighted on a slanted white roof, and looked around to catch her bearings. Her eyes gleamed as she spotted the house she was planning to rob. A house belonging to none other than the Mayor of Paris...but, better known to her as Chloe's father.

Marinette clambered down from the roof of the glamourous house and assesed the quickest way in. She had walked past the mansion everyday for a month, taking the longer route to school, so she could study the entry and exit points, cameras and any security guards pacing the floor. This was one of the most highly survellienced houses in all of Paris, and it was an amazing test for the young theif. It was probably one of the toughest jobs Marinette had set herself.

She steeled herself, and jumped, using her arms to hoist her body over the south wall. She dropped onto the ground without a sound, and quietly moved along the wall to the place she had picked out as the best entry point, the pantery window. It was a tiny window, with rusty hinges, and it lead to a bolted pantry. It had three metal bars over it, going vertically across the window.

Marinette scoffed to herself. Every house in Paris that was worth more than one million dollars had installed these bars after her rise in crime had begun. As if they could stop her. She shook her head to clear it and slowly slinked to the edge of the house, timing it perfectly so the revolving security camera didn't catch a glimpse of her. Moving to the window, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small black bottle with a leather strap wound around it. She uncorked it, and flinced as the pungent smell hit her nose. Undoing the leather strap, she placed it over the opening of the bottle and tipped the bottle upsidedown, letting the foul smelling liquid soak into the leather.

She had renforced the leather earlier that day, heating it, cooling it, and dabbing a soloution on it that prevented her acid from eating it away. But, the bars weren't renforced. She tipped the bottle the right way up again, and rubbed the leather harshly over one of the bars. She had to be quick, she glanced at her watch, realising that a security guard's path was going to come round this way in 6 minutes and she didn't want to be anywhere round here when he came. 6 minutes should be enough time to get in. As long as she shut the window behind her, he shouldn't notice that the bars were missing.

She rubbed harder, smiling grimly to herself as she felt the bar start to weaken. The bar disconnected from the top of its frame with a soft clink, and she hastily started to rub the bottom part of the bar. At long last she had them all done. She pushed open the window, straining with the effort of moving the rusty hinges. Once she was sure the window was open wide enough for her body to get in, she buried the bars in the garden bed, making sure light wouldn't glint off them.

Marinette started as she heard soft footsteps steadily making their way towards her. The guard didn't usually come round this way, he stopped at the corner and then made his way back towards the front door.

Marinette hesitated. She would have liked to prepare herself more for this theft, and she usually needed to mentally goad herself into moving. "Better safe than sorry." thought Marinette, as she pulled herself up to the window sill. She grabbed the top of the frame and pushed her legs through the window. She wriggled with annoyance. The window was just a little bit too small. She pulled her legs out and slipped off her backpack, aware of the ever increasing footsteps of the security guard. She pulled a bottle of oil out of her bag and hastily rubbed it over her black clad legs. She frowned at herself. She should have done this before she even climbed over the wall. Now she was wasting valuable time trying to get through a window of all things!

She pushed her backpack through the window and gripped the top of the frame again, pushing her legs through again. She scrunched her eyes tightly closed, praying she didnt't make a sound as the guard stopped, just round the corner. With her hightened senses, due to the adreniline rushing through her, she realised she could even hear the man breathing. He shuffled his feet around a bit, and with growing dread Marinette realised he was about to come round the corner.

With strength she didn't know she had, she desperately pulled her body up with her fingers and with adreniline rushing in her ears, she finally slid inside the house. Marinette dropped to the floor and tried to calm her breathing. There was no time to close the window now. She held her breath as the guard passed the window, expecting his footsteps to stop and investigate. But, they kept moving forwards at a steady pace and she slumped to the ground, letting out her breath in a big sigh.

She opened her eyes and scanned the room, noting with surprise that the pantry door was unlocked, and she could see straight into the kitchen. She smiled with satifaction. "Purrrfect"

The rising theif in Paris could now add another achivement to her steadily growing list. She was in.


	2. The Raid of Chloe's Room

**Hello! I am back with the second chapter! Thank you so much to everyone would reviewed and favorited and followed! This means so much to me, especially, with this being my first story.**

 **I also may or may not have based the lock picking scene on something I did a few years ago... ;) well, you see, my brother used to have this lock on his window.. and you get the picture.**

Chapter Two

Marinette rose confidentially to her feet, and made her way over to the kitchen door. She knelt, and peered out of the pantry, making sure she wasn't visible if there were any people working at the kitchen counter. She breathed a sigh of relief, as the kitchen and outside passageway were deserted. The kitchen was silent and dark, pots glinting eerily in the soft moonlight that streamed in though the window. She swiftly stepped out of the pantry, and walked softly into the kitchen, keeping to the walls, to make sure she wasn't seen by passers by. After silently making her way into the central area of the house, she softly made her way upstairs.

Marinette was as quiet as the night itself, sliding into each dark room, her practiced eye surveying each for anything small and valuable. She moved quickly, taking random bits of jewelery, ornaments and any other pieces that were valuable. She slowly made her way down the hallway, making sure not too take too many things, for these items were not what she was after. Marinette reached the end of the hallway and ascended the second flight of stairs. These stairs, she knew, would take her to The Mayor and his wife's room...and more importantly, Chloe's.

Despite never being up to this level properly, Marinette instantly knew which room belonged to Chloe. Who else would have a hot pink, glittery, fluffy, pearl edged door? She glided softly into the room, her eyes focused on Chloe's tall, four poster bed, situated in the very middle of her room. She froze, as Chloe snuffled in her sleep, holding herself still until Chloe had rolled over onto her side, thankfully facing away from Marinette.

Once she was sure she was in the clear, Marinette paced to Chloe's jewelery cupboard, and surveyed the lock on it. Pink and girly, and not at all cheap. She turned it over in her hands, twisting it back and forth, trying to determine what sort of lock it was. She frowned thoughtfully and reached down to her belt, pulling off a metal rod with a small right angle on one end and a flattened, thicker part on the other. She grasped the thicker end and carefully inserted the rod just a few millimeters into the lock. She closed her eyes, working entirely through feel and then opened them in satisfaction as she heard a soft click. She held the metal steady as she pulled another tool out of her belt. This one was similar to the other, although its end was bent into a shallow arc. She pushed the metal into the lock and raked it back towards her. She pulled it out and another soft click was heard. Once more she inserted the second tool, and feeling with sensitive fingers, she pulled it back towards her and the last click was heard. Pulling it out, she gently turned the first rod and with a metallic clank, the lock opened.

Now, this was the dangerous part. The noise could have easily woken Chloe. This was why she rarely hacked locks in people's rooms. She slowly turned to look at the bed, trying to make as little movement as possible. She released her breath with a hiss, as she heard Chloe's breathing continue it's steady rise and fall and then turned back to the cupboard,excited to see what was in it.

Quietly, oh, so quietly she opened it, and instantly her mouth dropped open in shock at the sheer amount of value inside it. She whistled softly to herself. Chloe certainly wasn't lying when she had boasted that her Daddy bought her everything she wanted and more. Her eyes scanned the rows of necklaces, earrings, bangles, bracelets, anklets, hair accessories, rings and hundreds of other pieces she couldn't even name. She softly picked a pearl necklace up, studying it intently, trying to determine the value of it. She carefully placed it into a soft pouch in her bag, and went back to surveying the jewelery, picking up valuable pieces here and there. She had started on the necklaces first, and once she was satisfied she had taken the ones of the highest price, she moved onto the rings. She had gone almost halfway through them when one in particular caught her eye. It wasn't nearly as expensive as some of the rings she had already collected, but it's beauty alone was enough for her to pick it up. It was a black, nondescript band with a center piece of five, small green gemstones, arranged so they looked like a cat's paw. She held it up, twisting it, so that the light reflected off it. She smiled softly, placing it in a different pocket of her bag, making sure she wouldn't lose the elegant ring. She wasn't sure why she found it so alluring, but, maybe her inner Chat Noir had liked it.

She had almost finished going through the cupboard, her backpack pleasantly heavy, when suddenly, from down the hallway, a door opened. Marinette dropped to a crouch, a rush of adrenaline surging through her. Who had heard the lock open? The footsteps grew louder as the person came closer and closer to Chloe's room. There was no time to close the cupboard door, and Marinette surged away from it, heading for the window on the other side of the room. She was almost past Chloe's bed, when she heard the footsteps stop right outside the door. Hastily, Marinette threw herself under the bed, hoping against hope she wasn't visible to the unknown person standing outside the door. She watched the bottom of the door as it opened, and someone's bare feet appeared. They walked slowly towards the bed and stopped next to it.

"Chloe? Chloe? Are you okay sweetheart?" a male voice asked, one Marinette recognized from the many speeches the Mayor had made to the city of Paris. The bed creaked, and the footsteps stepped away from it. "Hmm" the Mayor said. "I wonder..." He paced around the room, and Marinette's heart skipped a beat as she saw him turn to look at the cupboard she had been raiding from. He walked slowly up to it, and Marinette scrunched her eyes closed, ready for the gasp of horror, when the Mayor realized his home had been burgled. But, he only reached out and closed the door, clicking the lock shut again.

He laughed softly to himself. "Ahhh, Chloe. My little princess." He turned to look at the bed again, and Marinette swore he looked directly into her eyes. She stared back, unblinking, unmoving, knowing that he wasn't expecting a girl under the bed, and thus, he probably wouldn't see one, unless she moved. He walked back to the bedside, and she heard the covers shuffle, and she assumed he was tucking Chloe in.

She dropped her eyes from his feet, staring at the ground. How she longed for a father who would tuck her into bed at night. How she longed for parents who would welcome her back home after school. She inwardly cursed the drunk driver that had ran that red light, the driver that had rammed into her parents car, killing himself and her parents instantly. She only remembered them vaguely, their smiling faces, their gentle natures and the warm hugs they gave her. Even Chloe, a girl she despised, had more than her. A lone tear ran down her face before she could stop it, and she felt a sob rise up in her throat. She caught herself. Here she was, in the middle of a robbery, with a person, one meter away and she was crying?! She shook her head scolding herself mentally. "Marinette, get a hold of yourself! Focus! You can't be getting so emotional! If you're caught, you could be sent to prison for at least 10 year minim! You're one of the top criminals in Paris, crying on the job is unacceptable. Focus, girl, focus." She shook her head again to clear it, and concentrated on the situation at hand.

She opened her eyes as the Mayor walked away from the bed and out of the room, closing the door behind him. She had to get out of here. She had been here far too long, twenty minutes at least. She waited, tensed and ready to leave, mentally counting to 1 minute, to make sure the Mayor was back in his room before she made her escape. She had originally wanted to raid his room too, but now, that was out of the question. Besides, Marinette was more than pleased with her pickings tonight, Chloe's room had held far more than expected. She doubted the Mayor's wife even had this many valuables in her jewelry draw. Cautiously, she rolled out from under the bed, her bag slightly impeding her movement. She crept to the window behind the bed, and looked out, seeking an escape route. There was a drainpipe a few meters away from this window, if she remembered correctly. She peeked out, and spotted it's dark shadow, a few meters to the right of the window.

She had wanted to return the way she came in, but, now, she didn't want to risk it. Softly, she opened the window, wincing as is squeaked a protest. She swung her legs over the sill and prepared to swing to the pipe. She hesitated. She was forgetting something, she knew it. Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to remember. Ah! That was right. With a fluid motion, she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, unfolded it, and then tossed it into the middle of Chloe's floor. In the dim light, she could almost read the typed words on it:

"Hello, _purrr_ , un _fur_ tunate soul. I'm guessing you have realized that your house has been burgled by the one and only Chat Noir! _Paw_ lease don't take this too _purr_ rsonally, a cat needs some way to make a living! I remain, ever your _furrr_ iend, Chat Noir." And then a green paw print, next to the signature.

Marinette smiled a satisfied smile, and swung gracefully to the drainpipe. She made her way down it, like a spider, never a foot out of place. She reached the bottom, and skipped recklessly across the yard to the fence. She boosted herself over it, with the help of a handy garden gnome, and safely landed on the other side. With cat-like grace, she slipped into the night, leaving no trace of her presence to be found.

She took little time getting back to her home, taking every short cut she knew. She had taken far too long on that job, and she knew it. Finally, a little breathless, she stumbled up the steps to an old warehouse. She fumbled with her keys, hastily finding the correct one, and opening the door. Stepping into the large room, she was greeted by a dark figure.

"Chat Noir." The voice acknowledged. Marinette slung her bag onto the table.

"It's been a good morning, Hawkmoth." She replied.

 **DUH DUH DAHHHH! This is me trying to build suspense... I know, a bit shabby, abut I gave it a fair old shake of the sauce bottle! I hope you enjoyed it as much as you seemed to enjoy the last one, I really loved writing this chapter! Please, please write me reviews, I love hearing what you thought of it, it totally makes my day!**


	3. The Ball

**Wow! Let me first say thank you guys so much! I did not expect so many people to take interest in my story! This site has taken over my life, and I love it! :) This chapter is a little longer than the first two, but, hopefully it's okay. The idea for this chapter came from the reviewer GuardianAngel1234567, I hope this meets your expectations!**

Chapter Three

Marinette wrinkled her nose up in disgust at the steaming pile of slop the food lady had just dumped onto her plate. She looked around at the big dining hall, but no one else seemed too bothered with their food. She left a out a long deep sigh, that ended in an ungainly screech as a slim brown finger tickled her ribs. "What!? I...ahhh! Alya!" She yelled.. Marinette turned around and was greeted with the sight of her best friend Alya, easily balancing her plate of food with one hand, a grin like the Cheshire cat plastered on her face.

"Girl! How are you doing!?" Alya cried, giving Marinette an awkward, one armed hug. "How did you go? You did just rob the Mayor's house, huh?"

Marinette smiled at the eagerness of her friend. "Yeah, I did." she smiled selfconsciously.

Alya squealed and bounced on her toes."Mari, that's awesome! You are so good! Can I please interview you for the newspaper?!"

Marinette laughed. "Maybe." She said, and then added as she quickly looked round, "We should probably find a table before they're all gone." Alya nodded and steered Marinette towards a large round on, with two seats left.

"Nino saved us a spot each, so don't worry!" She said, plonking her food down on the table and smiling round at the faces there. "Guess what gang?" She cried, pulling Marinette towards her.

"Alya, no!" Marinette squeaked. But, Alya just hugged her tighter and announced, "Mari just robbed the Mayor of Paris! And got away!"

A chorus of, "Wow!"s and "She's good" and "Cool!" greeted Marinette as she sat down, blushing bright red. She looked around, picking out familiar faces. She sat next to Nathaniel who gave her a warm smile. "So, how did it go?" he asked.

"Fine I guess. I almost got caught, and I didn't get into the Mayor's room like I was hoping to, but, other than that it went pretty smoothly!" Marinette replied.

Nathaniel smiled and asked, "And Hawkmoth? How did the meeting with him go?"

Marinette shrugged. "Okay. He wants me to go undercover in three days and meet some more rich kids. He told me there was a ball being held in honour of the Mayor's birthday, and he had managed to get me a ticket. He wants me to go and make friends with some of the teenagers there, and try and get an estimate of how much money they have, how easy it would be to steal from them...and yeah, all that stuff."

Nathaniel frowned. "But, won't there be a chance of people recognizing you? Not as Chat Noir, but as Marinette? The girl who managed to steal pocket watches from people who were even so careful to chain them into their pockets?"

Marinette laughed. "Oh, don't worry! It's a masquerade ball, it'll be fine! I'm just going to have to make myself a dress, and do some research about who will be there! Then I can recognize them, but, they won't know who I am! It's so perfect!"

Nathaniel nodded and got up from the table. "That's good then. Make sure you are safe!" He smiled tenderly at her. "Right now, I have to go. Hawkmoth wants the Evilillustrator to steal a painting from Le Maison de la Peinure!"

Marinette smiled back. "You stay safe! Go do it Nate!" She turned back to the table just in time to see Alya make a kissing face and Nino laughing uproariously at her. "Alya!" She gasped, "It's not like that! How many times have I told you!? We are only friends!" Alya only laughed harder, gasping as she held her sides, rolling onto Nino who was also dying with laughter.

Marinette got up from the table shaking her head. "Guys, we are just friends! Actually, you know what? I have to go now, I can't talk to you when you are too busy laughing with Nino. So, I'll be in my room. Making my dress. Good bye."

She walked swiftly away from the table, shaking her head, and smiling at her friends silly faces. Oh, she loved them. She had grown up with them, when Hawkmoth and found them all living on the streets. He had taken them in and trained them to be thieves. He wasn't the best guy in the world most of the time, but, he had been there when someone had to take care of them. And they owed him so much for that.

She and Alya used to be a team, working together, Alya hacking into websites and security monitors, covering for Marinette who would sneak into the place and take every item of value there was. They were Lady Wifi and Chat Noir. Then Hawkmoth saw promise in her, and had trained her individually, and she eventually became known all through Paris. But, that wasn't important right now. Marinette shook her head, dispelling all those morbid thoughts. Right now, she had a dress to design.

Two days later, she twirled in it, in front of the mirror. It was perfect. It was one of the best things she had ever designed. She had finished it this afternoon, and had shown Hawkmoth, who had given her a mask to match. It was a very Chat Noir dress, and at first, she hadn't liked the design, thinking it would give her away. But Alya had loved it, and told her it was amazing, so she had decided on it.

It was a black and green dress, with black lace trimming. It had a black corset, and long sleeves, covered in lace, with a beautiful black, tulle skirt that reached to the floor. The neckline was green, and the strings at the back of the corset were also green. It was lightweight, and she could easily move fast in it, if she needed to make a quick getaway. Not that she would need to, if she was smart.

She sighed. She was ready. Her make up and hair had been finished for a while, and she was just procrastinating. She slipped the black, lace mask over her eyes, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw a confident, daring girl, who was ready to take on the world.

She left her and Alya's room, walking down the corridor of the girls dorm. Up further, Rose opened her door, dressed and Princess Fragrance and gasped. "Oh Marinette!" She squealed, clapping her hands. "You look so beautiful!"

Marinette blushed. "Oh, thank you Rose! You look beautiful too!" Rose smiled and nodded, thanking her as she rushed off down the hallway. Marinette made her way to the car she was going to be driven to the ball in, sighing with relief as she slumped on the seat. She had nervous butterflies in her stomach and she was already wishing this could just be over and done with it.

After a thirty minute drive, her driver pulled up at a familiar house. Marinette joined the many guests as they made their way up the path to the front door. She smiled, as she noticed the gnome she had knocked over when she jumped to fence was still lying on the dirt. She was surprised, there had been a great commotion over her burglary, and the police had dusted every surface she could have possibly touched. How had they missed such an obvious clue? She shrugged. Their loss. She reached the head of the line and curtseyed to the door man, showing him her ticket. He smiled at her, and motioned for her to come in. She walked through the door and gasped with amazement.

This was a part of the house she had never been into. She had come in a back way, a way that wasn't adorned with splendor. But, walking through the hallway now, she couldn't stop staring. The floor was covered in a royal red carpet, and the ways had gold trimming. The roof was the crowning centre piece, decorated with gold leaves, and every pattern imaginable. She made her way down the hallway, and into the main ball room, where she gasped aloud in wonder. The floor was a white marble, with two symmetrical staircases on either sides of the room, leading up to the living and dining room. The walls had more gold trimming and the windows had long, red curtains that swept the floor.

Marinette shook her head in awe and allowed herself a little more time to gaze at the magnificent house. She walked to the end of the ballroom, and studied the people there. The ladies were all wearing the most gorgeous dresses and the gentlemen looked stunning in their suits and ties. Some were even wearing top hats! She surveyed the hall some more, spotting a group of what looked to be children her age, or a little older, and she made her way across the room to speak with them. They all looked comfortable in their surroundings, so she assumed they had all been to functions similar to this before. She walked slowly up to them. "Hi!" She said a little nervously. She hadn't had a job like this for a while, and she hoped her social skills hadn't gone down the drain. A girl with red hair,wearing a deep purple mask and dress turned to look at her. "Hello." She said.

Marinette smiled. "I'm Marinette!" She said, curtsying. The girl smiled back at her and curtsied also.

"I'm Sabrina!" she said brightly. "And this is Lila, Chloe Vincent and Ali!" She gestured to each person as they were mentioned. Marinette smiled at each of them.

"So, how did you all end up here?" She asked.

Sabrina answered, "Oh, I'm a friend of Chloe's. I was invited, so I could hang out with her!" She smiled broadly and gave Chloe an enthusiastic hug. Chloe frowned and wriggled out of her grasp.

"And I am Chloe. I'm here because I'm basically running this party." She said with a toss of her head. "I have to make sure everything is perfect, and goes to plan. Because, people can sometimes be really dumb and do stupid things, you know? So I have to sort them out." Marinette nodded, inwardly rolling her eyes.

Lila stepped forwards and smiled. "I was invited because I'm an actress. I was in several Italian movies, maybe you have heard of me?" Marinette nodded quickly. "Yes, that's right! You were Volpina, were you not?"

Lila beamed. "That's right! That was one of my favourite movies to star in. I loved every moment of being a superhero!" She smiled dreamily, remembering the times she had while creating the movie.

Vincent bowed to Marinette and said, "Yes, I am Vincent. My parents and I were invited because we are friends with the Bourgeois family. I am here to take photos, more or less though."

"Woah! You are that good? That's amazing!" Marinette gushed. "You will have to show me sometime!"

Vincent laughed. "Yes, I shall have to! Maybe after we have had dinner?" Marinette nodded. She then turned her gaze into Ali.

"I am Ali." He stated. "I am Prince of a country to the east of here. I came this morning, just for this party, and will be staying with the Bourgeois family for a few days, before I go home. Your city is very beautiful." Marinette nodded, mentally checking him off her list. She couldn't steal from someone who didn't even live in Paris. "That sounds amazing!" She said.

Sabrina looked at her. "And you?" She asked. "Why are you here?"

Marinette gestured to her dress. "I design clothes." She said. "I am here because I am a budding fashion designer, and wish to look for inspiration." She mentally winced, hoping they would buy her story. She was indeed a fashion designer, but, she had no idea why that would get her an invite to one of the most esteemed parties in the country.

But, they all nodded, and continued talking as they had before. An hour later, the bell rang for dinner. Everyone slowly made their way into the dining room, to find seats. Chloe organized it, so they would all be sitting together, near the head of the table. Marinette inwardly blushed, seeing Chloe boss around already seated guests, so they could all sit together. The Mayor stood up before the meal was served and thanked everyone for coming. He then made a short speech about how fortunate his life had been and how he was so lucky to have a wonderful family. He mentioned how he had really only realized that when his darling Chloe had been in the face of great danger, of course, referring to the burglary Chat Noir had staged. Chloe blushed and twittered in everyone's gaze, and whispered she had woken up and seen a shadow going out of her window. Marinette smiled to herself. Yeah, right. Chloe had been sound asleep. But, trust her to dramatize everything.

Dinner was then served, and the hall became merry, as everyone enjoyed the food. Marinette compared it to the slop she had been served a few days prior. "Wouldn't I like to live like this?" She though to herself. "One day, when I have stolen enough I will." She reminded herself. She would be able to have all her friends live with her, and she could look after children on the streets Children like her. Children who had no one. Once dinner had ended, people slowly made their way back to the ball room, where a live band started playing dance music. Lila and Ali and Sabrina and Vincent paired off, and Chloe stomped her foot, crossly saying something about an Adrien, and how he wasn't here yet. She scowled and crossed her arms, stomping away to go and find him. Marinette was fine with that. She mingled with guests, learning names, social statuses, and after an hour, she was pretty happy with everything she had found out.

She leaned against the wall, sipping a glass of punch a waiter had offered her. Her eyes followed the twirling skirts of the ladies, noting the different styles and fabrics. She was about to call it a night when her gaze was blocked by a tall, blond boy. He looked down at her, and she smiled. "Hello!" She said cheerfully.

"Hello!" The boy replied.

"What's your name?" Marinette asked. The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't this supposed to be a masked ball?" He asked.

"Yes, it is." Marinette answered, wondering where he was leading.

"So, we shouldn't really reveal our identities...should we?"

"I guess not...everyone else I've talked to has told me their names though."

"Well, " said the boy grinning cheekily, "I'm not everyone else though."

Marinette laughed, looking up at him. "I suppose you're not!" The boy leaned against the wall next to her, snatching a glass of punch off a waiter's tray.

"So, why were you invited?" He asked.

Marinette giggled. "This could lead to our identities being revealed! Do you want to know?"

The boy laughed with her. "I doubt I know enough people to guess who you are. How about I tell you why I was invited, if you tell my why you were? Sounds like a deal?"

Marinette nodded. "Sure!" She said. "I was invited because I'm a budding fashion designer, and I'm here for inspiration!" The lie slipped off her tongue easily now, after being told countless times to others that night. She was no longer worried about it being questioned, so was caught off guard when the boy frowned.

"Really?" He asked. "They invited you for that?"

Marinette nodded confidentially, although inside she was quaking. "I don't understand it really myself, but, I couldn't miss this opportunity!" Good. She thought to herself. He can't ask me questions if I have told him I don't know. That was good.

"Okay."The boy said, nodding thoughtfully. "What are somethings you have designed?"

Marinette motioned to her dress. "I made this." She answered. "Although, I was super busy the few days before this, so I only had two days to make it. Once I had the design finished it was easy though."

The boy whistled softly, looking at her dress. "Two days? Wow. I don't know a lot of people who could pull off something this good in just two days!" Marinette blushed, ducking her head in thanks. The boy continued."Anyway, I'm here because my family knows the Burgouoius family, and my Dad has made a name for himself in the fashion industry. I model for him, and that's how I came to be invited."

Marinette nodded and looked up at him. He could certainly be a model. She thought, he had the height and the face, certainly. He laughed selfconsciously, and she blushed realizing she had been caught staring.

"I'm sorry!" She squeaked. "I didn't mean to!" Then realizing what she said, she stumbled on. "As in, I did mean to, but I didn't mean for you to..." She was cut off by the boy's laughter. She smiled awkwardly, and the boy laughed even harder. She covered her face in her hands, blushing even redder.

"No, don't worry, it's fine!" he laughed, and boyishly pulled her hands away from her face. He bent his head down to look into her eyes and grinned, still giggling. "It's fine, it's fine!"

Marinette groaned, and that sent to boy into another fit of laughter. "You know what?" she said, "Never mind. Just ignore me. I'm gonna go over here and be an antisocial wallflower."

The boy laughed harder and Marinette stepped away from the wall.

"Wait, where are you going?" He asked, stopping his laughter "You can't be serious about standing by yourself?" Marinette nodded, and he smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry for laughing!" He said, and she shrugged it off.

"No, don't be sorry, it's me, I'm not used to things like this. And I was thinking you could be a model, not judging you, or anything like that!" She said hurriedly.

He smiled at her and bowed, taking her hand. "Well then, Princess." He said, "How about we forget this awkward conversion, and dance the night away?" She smiled at him.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, my knight." She curtseyed, and he grasped both her hands as he swept her onto the dance floor.

 **Yay! and that's the end of chapter three! Wahoo! She finally met Adrien! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please review! I am asking for more chapter ideas, cos I'm pretty flexible with this story! So, please, please tell me any ideas you have, anything you have wanted to see Adrien and Marinette to go through.**

 **Anyway, bye for now! xxx**


	4. The Mysterious Boy

**Hello! I'm back! I wasn't going to update this early, but it's Valentines Day! And this is the only gift I have given to anyone. (Don't you feel special!? This update is a gift to all those out there that don't have significant others to spoil them!)**

 **I did add a little bit of fluff in there, just for today. I am not good at writing fluff though, so please tell me if it was okay, and I would love constructive criticism. Also, if there is anything you want to happen in this story, or where you want it to lead, please PM me, I really enjoy hearing all your ideas!**

Chapter Four

'The party has been wonderful so far.' Thought Andre Bourgeois as he beamed down upon his dancing guests. Everyone looked cheerful and merry, despite the late hour.

Marinette had never expected to stay this long at the party, this was a job for heaven's sake! But, this mysterious boy was incredibly interesting, and she had been most entertained in the many hours she had spent with him. He had made her feel like a Princess, and had been one of the most gracious, amazing, gentle people she had ever met. The had danced and talked and the danced some more. They had eaten supper together in one of the little side living rooms, sitting on couches Marinette had only ever dreamed about having. They had flirted shamelessly most of the evening, and were now dancing in the final hour of the night.

He had bowed to her and kissed her hand before the dance, and she blushed just thinking about it. His lips had been so soft, and it had set her hand on fire. She wondered if it was possible to like someone after only spending a night with them. 'This night,' she thought, 'This night has been one of the most magical nights of my life. All thanks to this boy, whos name I don't even know! Is this bad? But, how can something that feels so right and so good, be bad?' She looked up into his eyes as he pulled her closer. 'No.' she thought. "No, this isn't bad, this is right.'

He grinned at he as he spun her around. "Penny for your thoughts, Princess? You can't be thinking this hard about a simple dance!"

Marinette smiled at him and spoke. "Oh, no, I was just thinking that I believe I have seen you before somewhere. Which is funny, because this is the first ball I've been to, and I don't really mix with people like this."

The boy laughed. "Oh, it's highly likely you have seen me, somewhere! I'm all around Paris, it's my job to be!"

Marinette frowned slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

The boy grinned mischievously. "That's up to you to work out, Princess! And may I say, your dancing is utter perfection, especially considering that this is your first ball!"

Marinette turned a light shade of pink. "Why, thank you, good sir. You are a delight to dance with."

The boys face lit up. "Really?" he asked. "Every time I go to balls, I don't really have a chance to dance with anyone, so I've always wondered if I was up to scratch. You see, I've only ever danced with one girl, as she goes to every ball I go to, and she's...very protective of me."

"Oh, okay." Marinette nodded, as they finished the dance with a flourish. "I think your dancing is very good, even if I don't really know the standards! But, this girl you speak of, why is she not here? I would have thought this would have been the one party she would have come to, being hosted by the Mayor and all."

The boy shook his head. "Oh, she is here, she just doesn't realize I'm here. I usually wear quite distinct clothing, and this time I decided to dress differently. And then, we have masks too, so I suppose she hasn't recognized me...yet." He clasped her hand again as the next dance started. Marinette frowned and looked at his clothing. It seemed fine to her. A deep maroon suit jacket and mask, with black pants and a black undershirt. She grinned suddenly. "Oh, so you don't usually dress like a ladybug, huh?"

The boy looked down at her, a puzzled expression appearing on his face. "A ladybug? What...oh! Red jacket and mask, black pants and tie..yeah, yeah, I get it." He wrinkled his nose a bit. Marinette fought the smile off her face at his cute expression. "But, doesn't that seem a bit girly?" He said, drawing out the y, imitating a winy two year old.

Marinette laughed and twirled away from him. "Does it? Would you prefer Coccinellid? Apparently that's another name for ladybug."

He grinned and pulled her back into his arms. "No thanks, I think I'll stick with Ladybug. And Gentlemanbug doesn't really work too well either, does it?"

Marinette laughed again. "No! No, it doesn't! I'm sorry!"

"Well, " said the boy, "If I am a *ahem * ladybug...What are you?"

Marinette froze for a second before relaxing in his arms. "Umm...yeah, I don't know..." She stuttered, wishing she had chosen the blue dress design instead of the black one. This was not how tonight was supposed to go. She laughed nervously. "Hmm, maybe a black panther?" She said, desperately hoping he would accept it and move on.

"I don't think so." He said, and she cursed inwardly. "You are a bit too small for a black panther."

"How about a black dog then?" She suggested, trying to keep his mind off anything that could be small and black...like a cat.

He looked at her horrified. "A dog!"he exclaimed."My Princess could never be classed as a dog! That's preposterous!"

"Well, why don't I just be a princess?" She asked, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the conversation coming to a close.

"Oh, no, I have the perfect animal for you! You can be a black cat!" The boy exclaimed eagerly.

Inside Marinette was quaking. This was bad, this was very bad. He had made a connection to a black cat, in front of her civilian identity. She blessed his foresight in not introducing each other when they met. And, she was wearing a mask. That could be both good and bad...Bad was if he realized that Chat Noir was standing in front of him, good that he couldn't identify her. It was okay, it was all okay, she told herself. Who would make that connection? No one! This was a party, who would be thinking about Chat Noir now? She pasted a smile onto her face. "Ummm, yeah, that could be good, I guess." She stuttered nervously.

The boy brushed her comment away. "Good? It's perfect! I could definitely see you as a little black cat!"

The girl laughed awkwardly. "Maybe." They moved into the next dance easily, hearing the announcement that it was the last dance of the night. She smiled. "So, are we going to introduce ourselves at the end of the night?" 'Please say no, please say no!' she though.

The boy nodded. "We should. I mean, you are danced all night with some random who you can't identify by sight, and you don't even know his name! Plus, when we meet again, I would prefer not to be called Ladybug!"

She laughed. "When we meet again? That sounds a bit presumptuous! I don't know if I will ever be invited to a ball again!"

He smiled easily. "But, you see, when I know your name, I can invite you to my parties! See? It works out!"

She smiled softly, looking down. "Yeah. That would be fun." The music slowed to a close as the dance finished. He bowed and she curtseyed, formally ending the dance. She straightened and looked up into his eyes. How had she not noticed how green they were? He tenderly looked down at her, and placed his hand on the side of her head, leaning down. Her eyes fluttered closed, as she unconsciously realized what was about to happen. She felt his breath as their faces drew closer together. It was a magical moment, about to happen.

Suddenly, one of her pigtails was ferociously yanked, pulling her away from him.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU MONGREL!" Chloe screeched in her ear. She roughly pulled her further away from the mysterious boy, ripping out one of her black ribbons. "HOW COULD YOU?! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!" Marinette staggered back, feeling the burn of her hair and Chloe let her go, pushing her so she fell onto the floor of the ballroom. The boy gasped in horror.

"Chloe! How dare you!"

Chloe sniffed and tossed her head arrogantly. "She was about to kiss you, Adrikins! I couldn't let that happen! You are only allowed to kiss me, if anyone at all!"

The boy rushed to Marinette's side and helped her up. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I'm sorry about that. I really should have known Chloe would have been awful to you, afterwards, if not now."

Marinette blinked a few times and grabbed his arm to steady herself. "I'm okay. My head hurts a bit though," Chloe screeched indignantly at the contact, but the boy fended her off.

"You should probably head home then, my little chat noir." He whispered to her. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. "My little chat noir...yes...wait, WHAT!" He pulled his forehead away from hers and stared at her. Marinette looked into his eyes, and with growing horror, she realized he knew. She took a pace backwards.

"Please, please...don't...I can't.." she managed to stutter out. He reached towards her.

"No, I won't, no, stop, please wait!" She heard him say as she turned and ran out of the ball room. She heard his footsteps pounding behind her, and she ran faster. She nodded to the doorman as she ran past and managed to call out, "Thank you so much, I had a great evening!"

She flew down the steps, and out of the garden, slowing down as she passed the fence line. She turned to look back at the house and saw the outline of the boy walking slowly down the steps.

"I won't tell anyone! Please come back! Tonight was amazing." He called to her.

She shook her head slowly. "I'm so, so sorry for all the trouble I have caused you, I wish it could have been different. Tonight was one of the best nights of my life, and I will always remember it. Thank you, so very much." She then turned and ran blindly away, ignoring his shouts and cries. She didn't even stop when her hair ribbon, loose from Chloe's tugging, blew out of her hair.

Adrien stooped on the path and picked up her black ribbon. "Chat Noir. She's younger than I am. I wonder if she steals for her own gain?" He briefly considered telling the police, but decided against it. She really only stole from people who could afford it, and people who he personally thought really needed to be taken a few notches down. Plus anyway, he had told her he wouldn't tell, and that was reason enough. And, if he did tell, she would hate him forever, and he would never have a chance with her. 'I wonder how I could meet her again?' he thought. He couldn't recognize her in the street, he'd never seen her without a mask.

'Was everything she told me tonight a lie? No, it couldn't have been. It was too detailed, too complex. She don't know who I am, but, I can always ask Chloe what her name is. Not that it will help me find her. No, I have to come up with a plan. I really want to find out more about her, but how?' His mind raced frantically as he tried to come up with a solution. Suddenly his eyes brightened, and his shoulders straightened as an idea presented itself to him. He swiftly walked back towards the mansion, and then slowed as a supped thought hit him. 'What if she doesn't want to see me again? That last dance...she leaned in too...maybe it was just an automatic response...I did raise her chin to mine...what if she hates me for that?' his shoulders slumped again. 'Well, all I can do it try...' he thought, as he walked dejectedly back to the party.

Marinette slumped on the seat of the car once more. After running away from the party, she had called her driver, and was now halfway home. If she could even call it a home, she thought ruefully. Her skirt billowed over the seat, and her hair was loose around her neck. Bother, she had liked those ribbons. She though about that boy. She had heard Chloe call him, but dazed as she had been, she had only heard the beginning letter of his name. 'A' She considered all the sons of the many famous men the fashion industry. Nope, she couldn't even begin with that, so many of their children modeled their clothes.

She sighed. She had no clue who he was, and she have really enjoyed his company. She, dare she say it, she possibly could have developed a small crush on this unknown boy? Not a big one, just a teeny, tiny one. Alya would know. She and Nino had been a couple for a few months now. Hawkmoth had banned couples outside of their gang, affectionately called "The Akumas" She let out a long groan. She might as well just forget about him. She was never going to see him again anyway, so what was the point? And, it was a one night crush! She couldn't develop strong feelings for a person in only 5 hours! That was crazy. She thought back to the end of their last dance. Do you think...just maybe... he though of her in the same way? They had almost kissed. She shook her head. 'I shouldn't dwell on this.' I will never see him again, and that's final.

She arrived home just after one. After wearily scribbling down the information she had gleaned that night, and posting it through the door of his office, she dragged herself to her room. Not surprisingly, Alya was still up, editing her paper for an English class they both did.

"Mari!" She exclaimed as she walked through the door. "How was the ball? Oh, did everyone like your dress? Did you dance with a cute boy?" Marinette reddened slightly, despite herself, and Alya bounced of her bed, erupting in a squeal. "OH MY GOSH, YOU DID! Mari. I am so proud of you!"

Marinette smiled at her and put her finger to her lips. "Shhh Alya. It's half past one! Most people are asleep, of coming in from jobs. And, yes, I did enjoy it, thank you. And, yes, there was a very handsome boy." She blushed again. "Do you think it's possible to like someone after only spending a few hours with them?"

Alya admitted a small scream. "Mari! No way! Really? The boy was that nice? What's his name?"

Marinette shook her head. "I have no idea. Remember it was a masked ball. He knows I'm Chat though."

Alya stared at her, wide eyed in horror. "No! You told him?"

Marinette shook her head sadly. "No, he guessed, I knew I shouldn't have made the dress black and green!"

Alya hugged her. "No, Mari, it's okay. He doesn't know your real name and he can't identify you. It's okay. I'm so sorry for telling you to choose the black dress."

Marinette smiled weakly at her friend. "No, it's fine. I chose the dress colour, and I spent time with him. And he told me he wouldn't tell. I guess we'll find out in the morning if he's telling the truth. If he called the police, the news will go wild."

Alya nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, that's true. When someone found out Lady Wifi had been to a movie screening, and had stolen the only disk copy of the movi,e everyone when crazy. You remember that?" She laughed, a little shakily. "I still have the mental image burned into my brain of that boy pointing at me and screaming, 'That's Lady Wifi! Quick, catch her!' And the way I had to escape through the aircon ducts? That was terrifying! I don't know how you do it!"

Marinette laughed too. "I'm sure it will be fine. I'm exhausted though. I'm going to head to bed, once I've got this make up off."

Alya nodded. "Yeah, I should go to bed too. Do you need any wipes?"

Marinette shook her head. "No thanks, I should be good. Have a good sleep!" she walked slowly into their shared bathroom and opened the cabinet. She pulled out her makeup remover wipes and started cleaning her face. She sighed heavily. This was too confusing. Everything would be better with a good nights sleep. She finished cleaning her face and stared into the mirror. Without her makeup on she looked scared and tired. Her wide blue eyes contrasting with her pale face. She yawned, and then giggled at her face.

Sleepily, she changed into her pajamas, her favourite ones that said on the front in big white letters, 'Cats are in Right Meow' and fell into bed, thinking of that mysterious, handsome boy at the ball.

Little did she know, that mysterious, handsome boy was thinking about that sweet, beautiful, daring girl he had met than night as well.

 **Eeekkk! They almost kissed! So exciting! I'm not quite sure what's going to happen next, as this wasn't in my original plot line, but, she'll be right! It will be all good! (Or so I'm telling myself...)**

 **Everyone, have a fantastic Valentines Day! xxx Byeeeee!**


	5. Ladybug

**Hello! Yes, I am back! I'm so sorry you had to wait a while for this chapter, I had to study for an anatomy assessment for my nursing course and it was haaaarrrrrdddd! 5 Elements in 3 hours...WHY?! But, anyway, I managed to get through it with a dint of hard studying... now I'm waiting impatiently for the results... But, anyway, I felt bad about leaving you, so I smashed out this chapter...I think it's a little shorter than most, but, it will do!**

 **ps. if any of you have ideas for this story, they would be greatly appreciated!**

Chapter Five

Marinette strode confidently into Hawkmoth's study. "Hawkmoth" she nodded briskly, "I trust you found my information helpful?" Hawkmoth nodded, his face hidden by his ever-present mask.

"Yes, I did, Marinette. I have sent many of my akumas to obtain items from these people. You did well."

Marintte smiled. "thank you" she sat down in a seat in front of Hawkmoths desk. "So, you wanted to see me? You have my next job?"

Hawkmoth nodded again. "Yes, Chat Noir hasn't been active in over two weeks, and we can't let you get slack. You will complete this job," he handed a piece of folded paper across the desk to her, "And bring back the items I want in a month. I don't care when you do it, but, you will have to prepare well. This is probably the hardest job you will ever do. If you get caught, I will not bail you. This is your final test Marinette. You are almost 18. "

Marinette gasped. "What? My final job? But Hawkmoth, what will I do?"

Hawkmoth smiled. "You have completed your training Marinette. If you succeed on this, you have done what I can not do. I have tried many times to enter this house, but, I have been caught every single time. The only reason I am still here to train you all today, it that I always prepare for the worst, and so was able to make a quick get away. Something which you do don't do. " He looked into her eyes. "Marinette, if you complete this mission successfully, you will be free to go where ever you choose to."

Marinette was shocked. "But, why? Many people are older than I am, and are still here! Why can't I stay?"

Hawkmoth nodded in affirmation. "Yes, Marinette, many people here are older than you. But, there is only one more skilled here than you. Me. And if you do manage to come back with your prize, you will be the most skilled of us all. You can choose to go where ever you want. You can start you own training school like I did, although, I wouldn't recommend that, as you are too young. You could tour the world. You could continue practicing the art of burglary until you become the most feared in all of Europe. You can do whatever you want, Marinette. The world is at your feet."

Marinette nodded slowly. "So, I can't live here anymore? You're kicking me out?'

Hawkmoth sighed. "No, I am not kicking you out. I am just forcing you to leave the nest, to spread your wings while you still have the chance to. I will give you back 50% of your earnings from jobs, so you can have some money to indulge in, to do what ever you want to do, until it runs out. If you fail this mission, I will kick you out with no money. I grew up without this opportunity, and I dearly wish I had it. So, Marinette, by the end of this month, I expect your room to be empty. You have 30 days."

He waved his hand, dismissing her. Marinette stood up, and clutched the piece of paper to her chest. She turned and walked slowly out of the room, her eyes filling with tears. She was being kicked out. She was being rejected, yet again, this time by the one she had relied on for near on 7 years.

She made her way down the long hallway to her room. She entered it, and saw Alya, as Lady Wifi, obviously about to go out on a job.

"Hey girl!" Ayla chirped brightly, not seeing Marinette's face. Marinette turned away from her, and tried to make her voice sound normal.

"Hey Alya! Where are you going this time?"

Alya looked into the mirror, perfecting the black paint around her eyes. "Well, thanks to you, I have lots of work to do. The list of people you brought home from that party was super helpful! And, plus, I've mostly been working with Nino! It's been really fun."

Marinette nodded and 'hmmm'ed at her until she left their room, eager to start another job with Nino. Then, Mainette collapsed on her bed, sobbing. She didn't know where to go, what to do...how was she going to know which people to steal from? She was going to have to leave this place in a month whether she made this mission, or broke it. She looked down at her hand. The ring she had stolen from Chloe winked back at her encouragingly. She would do it. She could do it. How would she live by herself?

'I'll just have to make do. I must have stolen thousands of dollars worth in gems over the course of my life, surely.' At least she would be able to survive on that for a few years.

She reached into her back pocket, and pulled out the piece of paper Hawkmoth had given her as her last job. If she succeeded, she would be better than Hawkmoth...that in itself would be amazing...she would be the best criminal in Paris! She unfolded it and stared at the words on the paper.

* * *

Chat Noir

Retrieve:

The Paris Peacock Broach

Location:

Trocad **é** ro (16 **è** me Arrondissement)

18 Oraoal Bautisment,

Palatchnt, F 3658

First floor. Room W13.

Safe location: Unknown

* * *

Marinette gasped. Surely he didn't want the actual Peacock Broach? She read it again. Yep, he did. Only the most sought-after piece of jewelery in all of Paris. You know. An easy job. Nip in and out, as you please. She groaned and buried her hands in her hair. "Why? This is the hardest job I will ever do! And I don't even want to do it!" Usually Marinette would jump at the challenge. But this time? What was the point? Sure, she'd get money afterwards, if she was lucky. But her home! Her adopted family! She no longer cared.

* * *

Adrien looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a red spandex suit, with red lines down the sides. He grinned at his reflection. "Ha. Ladybug indeed. I'll show her!" He walked to his dresser and pulled out a thin cable wrapped around a circular winch. It was the latest piece of climbing equipment. It supported your weight, so you could swing on it, and winched you up when you tugged on it. It was given to him by his father, for the rock climbing wall in his room. He had known all the practice he had with it would come in handy. All in all, it was the perfect piece of equipment for him. He pulled out the cable and wound it around his waist, hooking it back to the body of the piece. He adjusted it and then grinned again. It was time to go. A dark shape was seen prowling around the streets and roofs this time of night. No one had been too concerned, but now he was willing to bet it was Chat Noir. He grabbed his bag and placed a red mask over his eyes. Pulling open his window he crept though it, and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Marinette pulled open her window. It was time to go. She needed to feel the air rushing though her hair, needed to feel the adrenaline rush she got as she pushed herself to go faster, harder, higher. She sprang out of the window and crossed easily to the next roof. She started running, as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew was that she needed to run. So she did. She ran quickly and hard, her feet making tiny thudding noises across civilians roofs. As the evening slowly turned black, she ran. She ran faster than she had ever run before.

At last, exhausted and panting, she stopped. She was completely drained. Slumping down on the edge of a roof, she cast her eye across Paris. Interestingly enough, she realized, she was close to where she had to steal the Peacock Broach. She let herself have a few moments more, and the hauled herself to her feet. 'Might as well have a look at the building.' she shrugged. She found the street, and casually sauntered across the houses, until she found the correct one. She stared at it from across the street. Of course! She remembered now. She remembered reading about it in the paper, when Gabriel Agreste had bought The Peacock Broach for his now departed wife.

Shaking her head, she stared at the house curiously. Who would have thought she would have ended up trying to steal from one of her idols? She had loved Gabriel Agreste's clothing designs ever since she had started taking an interest in fashion. And now she was stealing from him. She felt a sudden pang of guilt. He had never been the same since his wife had died, and she knew that The Peacock Broach was now one of the only things he had left to remind himself of her. Marinette chewed her lip thoughtfully. This was going to be one of the few jobs she was loath to complete, she could see. She sat down on the edge of the roof, and tried to collect her thoughts. How was this job going to work?

She had sat there, staring at the house for near on 15 minutes, when she was suddenly startled by a voice directly behind her. "Chat Noir. I've been looking for you."

Marinette leaped to her feet and spun around, her fist already darting out for a solid smack to this intruders jaw. Her eyes widened in surprise as her fist was caught in a steady hand, and she was pulled forward, colliding with the persons chest. "Oh, sorry, Chat, I didn't meant to startle you, easy, easy!" a male voice said, gently letting go of her hand.

Marinette pushed herself away from the mysterious person, and darted back, taking up a defensive stance. She finally had a chance to look this person up and down. Her eyes widened in surprise. "It's you!" She cried. "The boy from the ball! How did you find me?"

He grinned a cocky smile, looking at her, taking in her costume. "Well, I was actually heading home, and I stumbled into you."

Marinette looked at him warily. She wasn't quite sure whether to believe him or not. He had promised not to say anything, but, who knows, he could be working for the police! They could have sent him to gain her trust and then capture her! He saw her expression and understood what she was thinking.

"Relax! I'm not here to hurt you, or arrest you...I have actually come from doing a little job myself.." He set his bag down and she heard a distinct 'clink' as the bag made contact with the ground.

"Oh yeah...?" she fumbled, "Well, what's in the bag then? For all I know, it could be a pair of hand cuffs!"

He grinned at her again. "Don't worry kitten," he said, opening the bag, "It's just some spray cans! Look, it's fine!"

She cautiously walked over to the bag and peered in. As he said, it did contain only a few spray cans, obviously recently used. She nodded, seeing he was telling the truth. "Tagged a few walls, have you?"

He nodded back at her, his eyes bright with excitement. "Yep! Well, more than a few. It was just going to be a lark, but then I found it really addicting! I might even do it again tomorrow! Do you feel like that when you take things?"

Marinette cocked her head. "Like what?"

"As in, do you get that adrenaline rush, when you're doing something bad, and there's the chance you could get caught? Is that why you do it?"

She smiled. "Well, yeah, kind of. It's a little different, but, the rush is pretty good."

He closed the bag and picked it back up. "I was interested to see why you broke the law and now I know." She nodded. "But, what are you doing here? Studying the..." he looked past her shoulder and his eyes widened. "The Agreste house?"

She looked down, feeling guilty. "Oh, no reason! Just wanted to you know...check the place out a bit. It looks interesting, huh?"

He walked to stand beside her and together they stared across at the mansion. Inwardly he was wondering, 'Why would Chat "check out" my house unless she found out who I am? Or maybe she wants to steal something from it?' But, he didn't voice his thoughts, instead saying, "Those white walls are pretty bare...have you ever done any spray painting before kitten?"

"Kitten?" she laughed, breaking her stoic expression. She had a beautiful laugh, he realized. He wished he could listen to it all day. But, she continued, glancing up at him with a mischievous expression in her eyes. "I'm almost 18!" She figured it wouldn't do much harm telling him her age, after all, he was a lawbreaker also, and she felt a connection through that. Of course, feeling some attraction towards him helped as well.

"Yeah, "he replied, "Only 17! Still a kitten! You'll only be a cat at 25!" He patted her on the head, drawing attention to their height differences. She laughed with him, and batted his hand away. "And no," she said. "I don't think I ever have. Why do you ask?"

He looked at her and motioned to the bag of cans he carried. "Well, then, do you want to have a go then? We could even sneak into a building and do it there?"

She looked at the cans. She wasn't planning to do anything eye catching tonight, but, she wanted to have all the fun she could right now, to forget the truth and heartbreak of losing her home. And plus, she really did want to spend some more time with this handsome young man. "Sure!" She said, looking at him. "Let's do it!"


	6. Making The News

**Hello! I am back! I was really happy with this chapter, actually, it turned out better than I thought it was going to! Yay! And, plus, I found out I passed the exam with flying colours! So happy! So, in celebration, I wrote this chapter for you! (Sorry about all the exclamation marks, I am just so happy I passed!)**

 **Please tell me if I did okay, and if you have any ideas for further chapters or stories I could write, flick me a message, I would be so happy to hear from you! Thank you so much to** FairyTaleFan5023 **and** TheDancingPrincess **for** **all those brilliant ideas, you are amazing!**

Chapter Six

Chat Noir prowled slowly round the news building, seeking an entry point. She and her companion had agreed that they wanted to do something big, something everyone would hear about. So, what better idea was there, than tagging and burglarizing the news station, the place where every news event was broadcasted? She spotted a point where they could enter - a vent, that lead to the underground part of the news station. It looked big enough for them both to get though, and it was on the ground, making things even easier. She motioned to the boy to come out from the shadows.

"Come on!" she whispered across to him. He slinked across to her, making the barest trace of noise. She was surprised he was new at this; he was better than she had been two years ago! And she had been doing this for nearly 9 years! He reached her, and looked around. He bent down to her height and put his mouth against her ear. "Where are we getting in?" he whispered softly. She pointed to the vent, and he frowned, puzzled. She got down on the ground and looked at the bars. They were only bolted to the frame of the window. This was even easier than she had even thought! She reached to the belt she always wore and pulled out a piece of her lock-picking kit. It wasn't exactly what she needed, but it would do the trick. She positioned the tool over the bolt, and tried to pull it round. She grunted with the strain, and pulled harder. Usually, she could do this with ease, but, then again, this wasn't a bolt remover. She tried again, pulling with all her might. The bolt moved a little and she pressed on, hopeful that it would give.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Here," the boy said. "Let me try. I might be able to do it?" She glanced up and found herself looking straight into his eyes. 'How very green they are,' she realized. She got up from the ground, and motioned to the vent. "It's all yours," she said. "It is very stiff though, so we might have to find somewhere else to get in." He nodded and grasped the metal tool. Slowly he pulled it, gradually increasing the pressure, until the bolt started turning easily. He grinned and finished winding off the bolt.

"It seems I have come in handy already!"

She smiled at him and pointed to the other five bolts. "Don't speak so soon, there are still more to go!"

He turned back to the vent, and with quick succession, unscrewed each one, until the vent was open. He stood up, and brushed the dirt off his knees. "Now what?" he asked. "Do we just squeeze through and do the deed?" She nodded.

"Basically...I guess...you make it sound really easy!"

"It's not that easy, though, is it?"

She motioned for him to get down. "Well you'll have to see! Sometimes, jobs are remarkably simple!"

Chat Noir pushed her feet though the gap and maneuvered her body through. She grasped the bottom of the window sill and turned, so she was facing the inside wall. Slowly she let herself down, her feet feeling for the ground. She was at full stretch when she brushed the cold, concrete floor. She let herself drop and landed safely. She called softly to the boy. "It's okay, I'm down. You can come through."

His face appeared at the vent, and then disappeared, his legs appearing instead. He slipped through with the greatest of ease, and then he dropped soundlessly to the ground. She marveled at how well he was picking everything up. "You said you hadn't done this kind of thing before, right?" She asked him.

"Well, other than tagging a few walls, no, I haven't." he answered. "Why do you ask? Is my Kitty impressed with my incredible skills?" He drew himself up tall and looked down at her smugly.

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. I was just...wondering, that's all."

He hooted with glee. "You were! Hahaha, that's great! And here I was, worrying that I was slowing you down!"

She frowned. "I am no longer...if anyone was on this level, they wound have heard you. That's not impressive at all. Silly thing." She highly doubted there was going to be anyone at this time of night, but, you could never be quite sure. It was only the basement, where they stored all the unused equipment, but, maybe someone wanted to take some stuff up to the recording room?

He sobered up quickly. "Oh, sorry. That was an accident."

She brushed it off. "Just be more careful next time. I don't want to get caught."

She strode ahead of him, and he looked after her in admiration. Internally he was jumping up and down. 'Next time! There will be a next time! With her!' He realized he was falling behind, and he strode down the passageway to catch up. He found her at a staircase leading up. "Come on." She whispered, lightly making her way up the staircase.

They made their way through the building, avoiding all the cameras and security systems. At last, they came to the recording studio. Chat pushed open the door. She looked back at him, smiling mischievously. "Ready to make the news?" She asked, and she threw the doors open, revealing a dark, eery room. Without the cameras and lights, the place looked very creepy. Chat was having none of this. She scanned the room, noting it didn't have any windows that could possibly give them away, and walked over to the light switch panel. She switched the, 'On Air' lights on, putting the desks and background in the spotlight, and the rest of the room in blackness. She watched as the boy strode over to the desks and at down. He mimicked the music that introduced the news, and then sat up straight, imitating a British accent.

"Good evening to everyone in Paris tonight. We have breaking news! Chat Noir, Paris's notorious thief has struck once again! But, this time, it seems she was not alone. An accomplice, a handsome boy, looking to be about nineteen has joined her in her dastardly deeds. Indeed, he seems to have influenced her, bringing street art into her long list of crimes. But, who is this mysterious boy? All of Paris will be wondering who has befriended this beautiful burglar."

Chat approached the chairs where he sat, and laughed merrily. "That was great!" she giggled. "We should let them see you, so we can actually watch them say this! Oh, we should! It's been a while since I have made an appearance, and my days as Chat are numbered now. I should have a little fun, while I still can!"

The boy rose from his seat. "Numbered? What? Are you leaving?"

She smiled sadly at him. "No, I am just going to leave the people that make me Chat Noir. I will still be doing jobs, but, I won't know where to do them, and so I probably won't be making headlines again."

He frowned softly. "We should really have some fun them, huh? Let's get your mind off this." She nodded at him, and he tipped his bag upside down onto the table. "Let's get to it then!" He grinned gleefully.

It was three in the morning when they finally stopped. The backdrop to the news was now decorated with a scene of a girl, wearing a black, princess style dress, walking hand in hand with a blond boy, who was wearing a maroon coloured suit. They were painted walking away from the viewer, down a winding garden path, so only their backs were seen. The characters hair and body types were very similar to their own, and for a while, Chat was worried that they would be recongnised from the ball. When she voiced her thoughts, the boy just waved them off. "Who would make that connection? And, these people aren't wearing masks either. Let's have a little fun!" She had laughed with him, and finished the boy, painting his blond hair. It was very helpful to have the subject right there to copy. Admittedly, she did get some proportions wrong, but, the boy seemed be be good at his art, and fixed them in a way she couldn't even tell there were mistakes to begin with. Then end result looked stunning.

She couldn't believe that she had painted that...the cans were remarkably easy to use and she had enjoyed doodling for a while now. She supposed they were similar hobbies, thus, preparing her for this. She wondered why she hadn't done this sort of thing before.

He stepped back and surveyed the painting. "Beautiful!" he declared. "It looks like they were painted by the same artist! Now! We must sign them!" He look a red can from the pile and shook it, and on the bottom right hand corner, he sprayed a circle and then made a dashing black line though the middle of it. Then, using the black spry paint again, he made five black dots inside it.

Chat looked at him. "What does that represent? A ladybug?"

He nodded. "Yep! I decided to be Ladybug...in representation of our conversation at the dance. I mean, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"

She laughed. "Good to see you owning it! It was only a joke, you know?"

Ladybug nodded again. "Yeah, I know. But, I had the mask from the ball, and this was an old Deadpool cosplay that I altered, you know, so I could have my own look. It was pretty easy, just remove the head piece, and the accessories, tailor it a little and tada! An awesome, male-looking Ladybug!"

She studied the suit, taking in the details that made up the costume. It was well made and looked both comfortable and functional. She smiled teasingly. "But, don't you think Ladybug is a little big girly?"

He stood up straighter and made a show of flexing. "Nah, not for me! I'm nineteen, turning twenty soon! I am secure in my masculinity!"

She threw back her head and laughed. "Oh my gosh! Secure in your...oh, that's hilarious!" she doubled over, in fits of laughter.

He watched her, smiling as she wiped away tears. There, in the bright lights of the studio, with her head thrown back, she looked breathtaking. Her black suit contrasted beautifully with her pale, clear skin, and her blue eyes were emphasized with the happy tears coming from them. He mentally saved that picture of her, shaking his head at her uncontrollable mirth. He strode closer to her, and clasped her shoulders.

"Hey, hey, it wasn't that funny! You still have to sigh the picture! You can't just laugh all night!"

She looked up at him, her frame drooping, being supported only by his arms. "Yeah, yeah...that was so funny though! Oh my gosh, your face when you said that!" and off she went in fits of laughter once more.

He smiled at her, and sat her down at one of the seats. "Breathe Chaton, breathe!" he shook her, and she obeyed, taking in deep breaths, calming herself.

"Yep, yep...whoooohhh... I'm okay...I'm good..." She let out a big sigh. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks."

She picked up a black spray can, and drew a stylized black cat with big green eyes, next to the ladybug symbol. "Alright, done! Thank you, Bug."

"Anytime, my lady. Right, now, do you want to take a video on one of the cameras here? Or do you can to go interact with one of the security ones?"

She thought for a second, and then said. "One of these ones, I think, if we can work out how to use them. I mean, that would be the coolest, right?"

He nodded in agreement. "So, what should we say?"

She grinned. "You should say what you said before! That was funny! And I will pretend to be one of the other presenters! You can be Bill, and I'll be Joan! How does that sound? And we can shuffle papers and everything!"

He dashed enthusiastically over to one of the cameras. "Yeah, that sounds awesome! It is a little risky though, do you think?"

She nodded. "Yep, it's very risky! But these are cameras. They will only see us from one angle. And plus, I think...Hmmm."

She got up from the chair, and walked across the room, and peered though an adjoining door. "I heard about one of the news presenters keeping dress ups in a side room, for her child...Manon I think it was...? So she could play with them while her mum worked. If we can find them, we could change a few things about us pretty easily, huh?"

Ladybug followed her into the room. He opened a few cupboards and then gave a soft cry of exclamation. "Yep, you were right Kitty! Here they are! Oh, look, she even has some kids makeup too! We can do what ever we want!"

She walked over to him. "Alright, Mr Ladybug, let's see what we can do with you!"

The end result was a very goth looking Ladybug, with large eyebrows, a thin, very obviously draw mustache that curled up over his cheeks, and a front tooth missing. Chat looked no better, sporting a hot pink wig, that covered her forehead and very red lipstick. She had attached her ears over the wig, and they both looked very comical. Ladybug managed to get one camera rolling, and dashed to where Chat was sitting. They both looked at each other, and Ladybug figured he might as well get the ball rolling. He mimicked the music that introduced the news and then grabbed some random papers and shuffled them in front of him. He spoke in a lower, smooth voice.

"Good evening everyone-wait, this would be embarrassing if they played it on the morning show." He spoke in a voice a little closer to his normal one. He turned to Chat, and she laughed, and waved if off.

"Never mind." She said, pitching her voice a little higher. "They show must go on!"

"Ahem, sorry about that, yes, indeed, ummm...where was I...oh, right! Yes, the mysterious Chat Noir has teamed up with a devilishly handsome boy, whom she seems to dote on, and love more than life itself!"

She laughed again. "Oh, furr-real! That's right folks, we are not kitten you! They have teamed up, and seem to be intent on colouring in Paris! In fact, as you can see by the mural behind us, they think our studio needs a little more splash! Maybe they think it wasn't purrr-ty enough before?"

He spoke again. "Yes, as you can see, is a beautiful painting they both created, as you can tell by their signatures." He rolled his chair back and pointed to the two markings at the bottom of the picture. "This one is clearly Chat Noir's mark, but what does this one mean?"

Chat rolled her chair a little closer. "Well Bill," she said, " Purrrsonally, I think it looks a lot like a Ladybug. What is your purrrspective? "

Ladybug doubled over in his chair, laughing. "That was great! I love this! Oh, so good!"

Chat turned back to the camera. "Un-furr-tunately, it looks like Bill is out of action! He seems to be hiss-terical with laughter! It looks like he is suf-furr-ing! Paw thing! Shall we put his out of his mew-sery?"

Ladybug sprawled over the desk, laughing loudly. "Okay, stop, they are getting worse! Stop!"

Chat grinned down at him. "Say 'paw-lease stop the purr-ns' and purrr-haps I will furr-get some."

"Oh, my gosh, those ones hurt!"

Chat laid her head on top of his back. "Say paw-lease!" she reminded.

"Arrgh. Pawlease stop the purrrns!" Ladybug groaned.

Chat giggled and sat up. "Only be-claws you are my furrr-end."

Ladybug sat up, still laughing, and pulled her head closer to him, putting his hand over her mouth. "And, this is the end of the news report! Thank you everyone! This is Bill and Joan signing out. Stay tuned for the next episode!" He let go of Chat and slipped out of his seat, turning off the camera. Chat put her head down on the desk and laughed and laughed. Ladybug sat down heavily next to her.

"That was the best fun ever!" She laughed. "Oh, and, I don't think that you have episodes on the news."

Ladybug shrugged. "That's what they say after some anime episodes I watch. Not on the anime, but on the breaks afterwards."

She looked at him, still chuckling. "Anime? You watch it too?"

He nodded. "Yep! I'm super excited for the new Sword Art Online movie."

She looked at him. "Wait, there's a new movie?"

"Yeah, have you not heard of it? We should go see it together! It premiers in this city first! How cool is that! At a convention!"

She grinned. "A convention, huh? We should go. The we wouldn't even need to disguise ourselves! We could walk in, wearing our costumes. No one would be the wiser, because everyone is wearing costumes!"

He nodded. "We should! It's on the 4th of this month, here, I'll write down the details for you."

She smiled at his eagerness to go with her, mistaking it for a passion about anime. "You really love anime, huh?"

"Yep!" He said. "We should watch some together! I haven't seen Attack on Titan yet, and the next season is coming out soon, so I should probably watch it before there's more episodes."

Chat gasped in horror. "You haven't seen Attack on Titan?! We will definitely have to watch it. And what about Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood? You have to have seen that."

Ladybug scoffed. "That was the third anime I'd ever watched. That episode with Nina Tucker though? So heartbreaking!"

Chat nodded, leading the way back downstairs. "I know, right? And that last battle with Envy? Wow. I was scarred for life. I was suggested it by a friend who didn't know how innocent I was then, and it was a pretty big shock!"

Ladybug looked at her with concern. "That scared you? But, you're Chat Noir! Villein of Paris!?"

Chat smiled. "I was only 14 then! And, plus, it was my crush that suggested it to me, so I wasn't not going to watch it. I needed conversations starters badly!"

Ladybug stopped walking. "You have a crush?" He asked, his face falling.

Chat didn't notice his hesitation. "Oh, I did, but I got over him. He was an artist, you see, and so he was drawn (Hehe!) to anime because of the art."

Ladybug grinned to himself. "Oh, okay. That's nice I guess."

Chat laughed. "Yeah, he was pretty nice." She stopped at the vent leading to the outside world. "So, Ladybug, when are we going to meet next?"

Ladybug though for a minute. "We could meet at the Perth Entertainment Building, underneath the artwork that opens and closes? At the Madman convention, at 3, we could go see the new Sword Art Online movie?"

Chat smiled. "Yeah, that sounds great! Come in costume though, we don't want to know each others identities."

"Okay...well, I wouldn't object to knowing you, of course, but as you wish it, my Kitten." He bent down and grasped her hand, pressing a light kiss on it. She squeaked, and flicked his nose.

"Silly Ladybug! Okay, I'll see you then, I guess."

She looked at him for a long moment, before hoisting herself up and out of the vent, leaving Ladybug to find his way home, dreaming about the next time he would see her. This was going to be the best Saturday ever!

 **Yay! There it was! The situation about FMA Brotherhood actually happened to me...I was drawing off experience! Hahaha... and, yes! The new Sword Art Online movie is premiering in my city, apposed to the rest of Australia! (Which, is actually super exciting, because nothing gets to us first...)**


	7. The Agreste Mansion

**Hello! I am back! Finally! I am first an foremost going to apologize profusely to you all for making you wait nearly a month for this next chapter. :( I am so sorry, I have been super busy with the nursing course I am doing and have been going though a massive change as well, adapting to managing my time and life better. This also means that I smashed out this chapter, so it possibly isn't the most well edited thing in the world, but the story is what counts thought, right guys? :D**

 **But, hopefully this is the longest you ever have to wait for a chapter of one of my stories. Also, a massive shout-out to someone who has helped me organize this story and make it better, the one and only FairyTaleFan5023! They are an amazing person, and they totally inspired me to keep going on this, and their idea were a complete Godsend as the ending for this story was going to be kind of lame and cliché. But, thanks to FTF5023, this story is bigger and better! So, thank you ever so much! (I will reply to you-I am so sorry, I feel awful.) 3 Everyone, go check them out, they are one of those awesome ideas people!**

 **Now! On with the story!**

Chat Burglar Chatper 7 (hehee!)

Tonight was the night. It had been decided. She wanted to be free, next time she met Ladybug. And, she wanted to be done with this place more than ever now. So, tonight was the night she would steal the peacock broach.

Marinette had used up 24 of her 30 days planning, thinking, coming to random conclusions and doing everything she possibly could to be prepared for what she was about to do. But, after talking more with Hawkmoth, and discussing different ideas, she knew she would never be able to prepare for what she was about to do.

The black mask was on and the ears were firmly attached to her head. Alya had hugged her and wished her good luck, the tears glistening in her eyes. Nino had given her a strong hug and told her that she would do fine and he would see her soon. She hadn't told Ladybug. She had seen him 14 times since they had announced that they knew each other on television. (She wasn't counting, or anything.) The world had buzzed about that. Paris had gone wild and so had Hawkmoth. She hadn't cared through. It was her life and she was going to be done with his place soon anyway. She had told Aya and Nino she was going to be leaving that night too. Alya had cried herself to sleep and Nino had hugged her tightly and ranted about Hawkmoth until the sun was up.

But, for some reason, she hadn't told Ladybug. She had plenty of opportunities to, the Sword Art Online movie, and all the times she had done graffiti with him. She was going to tell him, eventually, but it had never come up, and she was grabbing every moment of time with him as she could. Their relationship had developed rapidly and they were spending more and more time together. Her sleep was really suffering. After this night though, she would be free to do whatever she wanted. She had spoken more to Hawkmoth and learned she had almost one million dollars in burgled goods, so she could use that to survive for ten years, at least. She could see her life stretching before her as she darted out her window. She was either going to manage to steal the broach, and live happily with her own apartment, meeting Ladybug until they got together and had three kids and a hamster, or she was going to spend the rest of her life in gaol. And, she really didn't want that. So, she was going to succeed.

The journey to the rich parts of Paris was relatively quick. She had been that way many, many times and knew where to go and what to do. There was no point in planning everything about the burglary, and then getting caught on the way there. That was plain stupid. No, she knew what she was doing and she knew how to do it.

She arrived at the Agreste mansion right on time. Her eyes slid back and forth, watching the cameras and security guards. She had talked to Ladybug one night about breaking into the Agreste mansion to graffiti the walls. He had known an awful lot about the security system there and she was almost convinced her had broken into the mansion before, he knew it in such detail. She smiled grimly. She had memorized it all and now it was going to come in handy.

She used her baton to vault lightly over the walls of the garden and then froze. Ladybug had told her that there was a sensor sweeping the garden and that is would pick up literally anything that moved that was larger than a small log. You couldn't see the sensor from outside the walls, but once inside, if you knew where it look, you would see the flash of a red LED when it finished a sweep. She craned her eyes to the west wall of the house, keeping her eyes trained on the top of the wall, just below the edge of the roof. Aha! There is was. It had completed a sweep of the garden. It was now heading back towards her. She counted underneath her breath until it flashed again. The scanned had now done swept the yard twice -going to the wall where she stood, and then back again to the wall opposite her. She had 17 seconds to get across the vast yard and into the house. She couldn't risk running in front of the scanner, so she had half of that time -about 8 seconds. She had already planned her route and done everything she possibly could to prepare for it. Scaling the wall? Check. Opening locks? Check. Taking out security guards? Well, she had practiced that, asking if seven of the boys under Hawkmoth could train with her. She had taken them all out in about 3 minutes, so she was pretty confident in that. Running fast across uncharted territory? Check. Not getting caught? Check.

She took a deep breath of air and steeled herself, her body almost trembling with anticipation and adrenaline. She fixed her eyes one the monitor and waited. There was the light! She was off, running fast, aiming for the corner of the house. There was an air conditioning regulator there, if she managed to get behind it, she was safe. It was about 50 meters away, meaning she had to run about six meters per second. She could do that. She had done it many times before. Was this any different? Her mind was racing faster than her feet as she prepared to slide behind the regulator.

Her knees buckled and she dived for cover, realizing at the last second there were garden pots and materials behind the regulator too. _Oh well, they'll just have to make room._ She thought to herself. And they did. The noise as she slid into cover seemed deafening, the pots falling over onto the dirt, banging noisily against each other. This was another reason why she had chosen a windy night for this, any residents in the house would believe it was just the wind, knocking things over. Well, that's what she hoped at least.

* * *

Adrien was woken up by the wind. It had knocked the pots outside his window over and made a commotion. He frowned sleepily. He had hoped to get a good night's sleep- staying up with Chat Noir had definitely impacted his sleep schedule in a negative way. It was a warm night and he really should have opened his window, but, with the air conditioning on, he didn't bother, preferring to sleep shirtless instead. He groaned softly and rolled over in his bed, glancing at the too-bright lights of the digital alarm clock. 2:32 AM. Far too early to get up. He had a photo shoot at eight thirty and he couldn't turn up looking liked he'd been punched in both eyes. Well, he could, but, the make-up artist would have heart failure and so would his Father, when he hears about it.

He rubbed his eyes and let his hand fall wearily to the mattress, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. _I should really try to go back to sleep._ He thought. Of course, that was what his mind said, but, he sat up without really thinking about it, and swung his legs out of bed. _I'll go and get a drink of milk, and then I'll sleep._

He passed his computers and let his hand pass over the mouse, waking it up. He squinted in the bright lights and bent over the desk, awkwardly typing in his password and opening the last page he was looking at. An informative page about Chat Noir, speculating about her identity. He sighed. He wanted to know who she was so badly. That girl under the mask, he loved her. The one that told stupid puns, and loved anime, they one that dreamed about being a designer one day. It didn't matter who she was, where she had come from, he knew he loved her. He scrolled down to the next page and was greeted with a mass of fan art. He was surprised to notice Ladybug was a character that was very much embraced by most of the artists, often shown with Chat Noir. He smiled, looking though them, blushing at a few and saving most of them. He straightened and gazed around his room. The artists that drew most of those pictures portrayed Ladybug and Chat as a couple. If only she loved him back. Then it would be perfect.

He sighed and left his computers, slowly making his way across his room. He opened the door carefully, so as not to wake anyone up. His room was on the second floor of the house and the kitchen was on the first. He rubbed his eyes again, and sleepily made his way across the hallway to the stairs. He peered down the staircase, squinting his eyes in order to see each step. His foot found the stair below and he grasped the stair rail, slowly making his way down to the first floor.

He made his way to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator, blinking at the bright white light. He bent down and stopped. There were at least four different brands of milk. He sighed and grabbed a random one, pulling it out and putting it in the bench. Adrien ruffled his hair and yawned. He was tired, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Shrugging, he walked across to to grab a glass and poured the milk into it, slowly sipping it contentedly. He put the glass back down on the bench and hoisted himself up to sit on the cool marble surface.

He looked up to the clock above the refrigerator and made out the time. 2:40 AM He should probably get back to bed. He finished the milk and slid down from the counter, placing the glass quietly next to the sink. He padded quietly into the hallway and stopped as a foreign sound reached his ears. It almost sounded like the clink of tools. But, there shouldn't be anyone awake now. Maybe it was the Gorilla? He could possibly be working on the car...but, why would he bring his tools inside?

Adrien took a firm step right, heading away from the staircase, determined to find out what this mysterious noise was.

 **And thus the end of chapter seven! Thank you to all the amazing reviewers! MiraculousMoonLo, K7C, Trexfish, nightmaster000, TheDancingPrincess, Sweet XD melody, Turtlekier42, SJJSpice1, GuardianAngel1234567, SparklesX3, sharpened pencil, shadow keeper, MizukixMai, white Angel 246 and of course FairyTaleFan5023. I love you all so much, thank you!**


	8. The Test

**Hello! I am back with the latest chapter of Chat Burglar! I am so sorry it took this long to come out, I have rewritten then ending to this chapter multiple times, but it was eventually PerditaAlottachocolate that gave me the push I needed. (Thank you, I needed that! 3)**

 **Anyway! Thank you so much to TheDancingPrincess, you are amazing and to** **FairyTaleFan5023 -You are the reason I didn't do an awful anticlimactic ending to this story. If it wasn't for you to the story would have ended on this chapter, but, no, we still have many to go!**

 **Please enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Chat had made it safely inside, scaling the wall and coming in through the roof tiles. She had known the air conditioning ducts were similar to industrial ones, so she had climbed into one and made her way down to the first floor. It was a tight squeeze, even for her, and very claustrophobic, but she was known as Chat Noir for a reason. She had unscrewed the vent screen and dropped down onto the ground in the main hall. Now, she was in Room W13 and busy hunting around for a safe. She had managed to pull the fuse for this camera and so was free to move about. The security system for this mansion was expensive, but it was mostly the defensive measures it took after something or someone was seen. So, if she wasn't seen, there wasn't really too much to worry about it. It was all on how much you knew and how smart you were doing it.

Chat entered the room and prowled around it. The easiest place for a safe would be behind the picture. She walked up to it, and placed her head on the wall next to it, staring at the place where the picture frame touched the wall. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she could make out little white pressure pads, installed to alert anyone if the picture frame was removed without permission. She grinned, slipping a piece of gum into her mouth. She had used this trick only twice before in her days of burglary, and now was the time to use it again.

Placing her bag on the ground, she undid it and quickly pulled out several small, metal squares. She would use these to keep the pressure on. Satisfied she had chewed the gum enough, Chat took it out of her mouth and placed it on one of the metal squares. Carefully, she eased the metal underneath the painting, the gum side facing the pressure monitor. She had to do this quickly, otherwise the alarm would be activated. She cautiously slipped it under the frame and with her other hand, she lifted that corner of the painting off the wall. She waited there, for a long moment, until she realised she was safe.

After that, her breathing went down tremendously, and she was able to finish the next three without excitement. At long last, she lifted the painting off the wall, hoping to find the safe there, especially after all that work. She was rewarded by a blank white wall. Chat frowned and look around the room. This didn't make sense. This was the only spot in the room that provided any sort of cover, and there was pressure points on it. Unless the painting was very valuable, there was no point to putting them there. It was a rich house, maybe the painting was worth a lot.

She looked at it, resting on the desk. It was a painting of a woman, with blonde hair and green eyes, with her hand resting on a blond haired boy, who also had green eyes. _Ahhh_ She realized. This was Mrs Agreste. And that meant the boy next to her was Adrien Agreste, her son. She frowned at the boy. She had only ever seen him in pictures before, but for some reason, he look familiar. Standing next to the woman was none other than the famous Gabriel Agreste. This was a family portrait, it must have been done just before Mrs Agreste disappeared last year. It obviously had sentimental value and was probably done by quite a good artist too.

She frowned again and turned back to the wall. There must be something here. She ran her fingers across the white space and her eyebrows rose. _What's this?_ She thought. Her fingers had picked up a tiny gap in the wallpaper. She felt it along the gap, and ended up tracing a small square on the wall, about 30cm in length and height. _Sneaky, Gabriel, sneaky. I doubt you could even see this in bright sunlight._ She thought, commending the Agreste on his hiding spot. Now, if she could just work out how it-

With a small squeak, the wall fell into itself and a black, metal safe appeared. Chat stepped back in astonishment, she had no idea how that happened. _I must have triggered a spring._ Never the less, she was jolly glad it had happened, she didn't even want to think of the noise she might have made trying to pry the cover off. She stepped forward again, her mind focused and intent on reaching her prize.

The safe looked old, that was good. Old safes didn't have little booby traps that could catch you unawares, nor did they have false notches to produce misleading clicking sounds. She looked at the brand name on the side of the safe. A Holland 430. She racked her brain. She was sure she had seen the blueprint of that somewhere. As part of her education, and for memorization practice, she had been set to memorize safe blue prints. Over her life, they had come in handy, as it was very useful to know the workings of a safe you wanted to crack into.

She frowned, thinking furiously. Ha! There is was. She could picture it clearly now. She closed her eyes, mentally zooming in on the blueprint. So, she had to screw in here...

After she was completely satisfied she knew what she was doing, she opened her eyes and bent down, opening her bag again. Inside was a tool of her own invention. A titanium Archimedes screw that could be attached to a tiny drill of the highest power and quality. She would know, she built it. It was quiet and small, perfect for safe cracking. She would drill into the safe, three inches to the right of the combination lock, right where the locking mechanism was. Then, she would be able to see the numbers, using the miniscule torch she had brought.

Chat smiled grimly. She was more than halfway to getting the broach.

* * *

Adrien padded slowly down the long hallway leading to his fathers office. He paused and uncovered a switch, next to the light control. He flipped it down, turning off the laser beams than lined the hallway. Now he could walk down without the alarms going off. He could still hear the noise, ever so quietly. He stopped again, for a second, listening intently. It almost sounded like a small insect, flying around. A buzzing, whirring sort of sound.

He started walking again, shivering slightly in the cold hall. All the airconditioning vents were somehow channeled down this hallway and now he sorely regretted the decision of not grabbing a shirt out of his wardrobe. He shook his head, ignoring the sensation and kept walking quietly towards the noise.

He was almost there. He wondered what it was. If it was the Gorilla, he would just poke his head in and smile. If it was one of the servants, he would probably sent them off to bed. If it was his father, he would leave and hope that he wasn't noticed. He didn't need a lecture on the importance sleep was to healthy skin. And...if it was an intruder...this was a part of the house that was far away from where anyone was sleeping. He frowned thoughtfully.

 _I think Natalie's away till Sunday...that means that it's only Father and I in the house. The Gorilla isn't supposed to be here till seven o'clock...I'll have to deal with the threat myself, Father will be no use. I'm almost twenty. I'm at the prime of life. I'm trained. I can handle this._

He was a metre away from the room where the sound was coming from. Half a metre. The door was slightly ajar. Without making a sound, he angled his head so he could see inside. His eyes narrowed. A dark figure was crouched against the wall, with the hatch to the safe open. _How?_ He thought. _How did they manage to get inside and get into this room? There's laser beams all down the corridor. And they were still on when I walked down -I turned them off! And then the security systems in the painting itself! They must be clever. Maybe I'm outmatched here._

Adrien shook his head. No, he wasn't. He knew what he could do and he knew it well. And, this was familiar territory for him. This stranger had probably never been in the room before. Adrien tensed, ready to attack. He felt adrenaline surge through his body and before he could think anymore about it, he made his move.

He threw the door open, rushing into the room, heading straight for the intruder. They turned, hearing him and he could pick up the curse they muttered. Then he was on them. Trying to pin their arms behind their back, trying to do anything he could to inhibit them. Now he was rolling on the floor with them, he realized they were actually quite small. They were a fighter though, kicking punching and biting, doing everything they could to keep him off them. _You are very clever, Mr Burglar._ He thought. _But I shall win._

The burglar managed to get on top of him, straddling him and grabbing both of his arms. Adrien grunted with exertion, and managed to plant his foot in their stomach, sending them flying off him. The burglar hit the opposite wall and groaned as he slid down onto the floor, clutching his stomach. Adrien moved towards him, wary of any tricks he might pull. He studied the intruder. He was slouched against the wall groaning softly. Adrien went to grab his hands, but he reacted, pushing Adrien's hands out of the way and landing a harsh blow on his cheekbone. Adrien moved back, startled at the stinging in his cheek. He frowned. He wasn't going full out on this guy, as he was smaller, but, now, Adrien was angry. The intruder almost seemed to realize this and held up his hands in a defensive gesture, waiting for the oncoming blows. And did they come.

Adrien was full out furious at this stranger. Now he was going to get in trouble with his Father for messing up his skin. He growled softly and attacked. The burglar had no chance. Adrien rained down blow after blow, and he finally gained the upper hand. He rolled on top him and pinned his arms above his head. "That's enough." He said, in a low, deep voice. The stranger struggled, but it was no use. Adrien had his full weight on them and he was almost twice his size. "I said, that's enough." Adrien repeated, an edge in his voice. He glanced up at the wall, and sighed with relief when he saw the safe unopened. He looked down at the still form beneath him and held their wrists with one hand, while he reached up and slammed his other hand on a buzzer near the door. The police would be on their way.

He looked back down again. _This guys wrists are really tiny._ He thought to himself. He could hear his breath, he was obviously struggling to take in a deep mouthful of air. Adrien lifted himself off them for a second and they gratefully gasped in a deep breath. They waited there. Every so often, the burglar would struggle, and Adrien would lean his full weight on them.

Suddenly, Adrien had a niggling doubt at the back of his mind. _I haven't seen Chat in a while._ He thought. His eyes glanced down in panic, instantly realising what he had done. He surveyed the form of the person below him. _Skinny stature, black mask, long hair still in messy pigtails, with cat ears on top...what have I done?_ Adrien jerked back as he realized the full implications of his actions.

"What?! No!" He said out loud in disbelief. He stared at her eyes, knowing that he had just caught Chat Noir, the villain of all Paris, and he had beaten her within an inch of her life. And she was a girl. The girl. The girl who had finally accepted him for who he really was, not for his name. And he was about to lock her up for the rest of her life. He shook his head, hearing sirens in the distance. He wasn't going to let this happen.

"Quick." He gasped out, rolling off her still body. "Chat, move. The police are coming. You have to go, now."

The girl moved slowly, moaning in pain as she stood up. Adrien frowned as he saw she was in no state to escape by herself.

"Grab onto me." He said quickly, scooping her up into his arms. "You have to go, they're going to catch you." She coughed at the sudden movement, and he desperately hoped she wasn't coughing up blood. He ran down the hallway and turned into a side one, that the servants used. Strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to go anywhere near here, but one day he had been feeling curious and had explored the whole quarters. He raced to the end of this smaller hallway and took a right, ending at a door. He reached out a hand and rattled the doorknob, grimacing as he found it locked. Of course it would be.

Taking a step back, he kicked the glass door and it broke, forming a spiderweb of cracks over the surface. He took a deep breath and kicked it again, putting all his energy into it. The door shattered, and the glass fell to the bottom of the frame. Vaguely he realized that an alarm started going off and he hoped that she had used sense and turned off the cameras. He dashed out of the house, carrying her still body, and raced to the gate. He typed in his PI number and the gate opened. He ran out and made a quick left turn, running to the edge of the fence. There was an ally way that she could escape in. She would be safe. He placed her down gently on her feet, catching her as she staggered slightly.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay, alright? You know that, don't you? It's going to be fine, you're going to be okay." Chat nodded.

"Yep. I know. I have to go home. But, why? Why would you do this for me?"

Adrien turned. "I don't know. I think you deserved it." Chat tilted her head to the side. "No time now. You have to go Chat, they're coming for you." She nodded, and slipped into the shadows, limping awkwardly.

He voice drifted back to him. "I don't know why you did that, or how. But, thank you sir. You saved me." And she was gone.

Adrien swiftly ran back to the house, noting with relief the red light was off, meaning she had disabled the cameras. He was just closing his gate when three police cars pulled up. He made a pretense of throwing open his gate.

"I'm sorry, officers, but they got away!" he shouted, trying to give them an image of a panicked rich kid. "I saw his run that way!" He pointed right, and prayed that they would listen to him. The first officer shouted a few words to him men and two of the cars reversed and screeched off to the right. The third car stayed, and police streamed out of it, running to him and asking if her was alright. He answered dreamily, as if he was a little out of it.

His father came running down the steps, hastily wrapping a dressing gown round his tall frame. "Adrien? Are you alright?" Adrien smiled at him.

"Thank you Father, I'm fine." His father nodded and then looked at him closer.

"Adrien! No, you most certainly are not! What happened to you?" Adrien looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean, Father? What happened to me?"

Gabriel Agreste gestured to his son. "What happened to your chest, to your face?!" his voice grew in horror as he noticed more and more bruises and scratches. "You have a photo shoot tomorrow Adrien! What were you thinking!?"

Adrien sighed. "I'm sorry Father, I saw someone in the house and I tried to stop them from stealing Mother's Peacock Broach." Adrien glanced up at his fathers face and watched as it turned deathly pale.

"What did you just say?" Gabriel asked, his voice suddenly filled with worry.

Adrien sighed. Of course he would be more worried about the broach than him. "I said I tried to stop a thief from taking Mother's Peacock Broach. I caught them, but they escaped."

Gabriel gasped, fear written over his face. "So they got away with it?"

Adrien laughed a humorless laugh. "No, Father, don't worry. They didn't get to it. They were very close though. The hatch to the safe was open and they were about to take it. But, I managed to get to them first."

Gabriel Agreste was never one to cry. In fact, Gabriel Agreste was never one to even show emotions. But, this time, he sank to the ground and put his face in his hands and sobbed with relief, with a shocked Adrien trying to comfort him.

 **And thus, the end of chapter eight! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it! Also, I really hope the ending was okay, I struggled with it a lot. So, please tell me how I did, and any suggestions on how to make it better, I am clean out of ideas!**

 **Thank you for reading to the end! 3 Love you all and see you next time! xx missdragongirl 3**


	9. The Escape

**Hello! I am back! With the ninth chapter of this story! Thank you all so much, the reviews and favourites and follows make me so happy! I'm pretty excited about this chapter, it sets a few things in motion.**

 **One thing that I forgot to clarify in this story was that while I do believe that Gabriel Agreste could quite possibly be Hawkmoth in the Miraculous Ladybug universe, in Chat Burglar he is not. My sister read the story and was like, "So, how are you going to get Gabriel back to his base before Marinette gets there?" And I thought, "What is she on about?" and then realized what was going on.**

 **So I am really sorry to all those out there that assumed that this was the case, sadly it is not. Gabriel Agreste is just a man with no heart (well maybe a little ^^) who throws himself into his work. And Hawkmoth is an evil guy who wants riches.**

 **I would also like to thank** **PerditaAlottachocolate for again giving me the boost to finish this chapter off properly instead of just giving you the scrappy draft...and reminding me that I had left you all waiting...hahaha, thank you! 3 (I'm so sorry)**

 **Anyway! On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 9

Chat limped swiftly away from her savior as fast as she could. She was no fool, as soon as the police caught her, she knew she was in for a lifetime sentence. She heard the cars roar up to the Agreste mansion and silently thanked the young man who had saved her. She heard him shouting hoarsely, telling the police to head in a certain direction. Her heart rose into her throat. He wasn't going to betray her, was he?

She sighed with relief as she heard the cars speed off away from where she was. She assessed the damage she had attained. Bruises all over her body and most definitely broken ribs. Her clavicle felt awful too. That could be broken. Her face was cut up and she had a split lip. She needed to get home. There was medical attention there.

She gritted her teeth through the pain and started awkwardly limping deeper into the alley. This was the route by which she was going to leave anyway, and she had assessed every inch of the track. She squinted, trying to see more clearly in the dark, peering through an eye that was rapidly turning black. Shaking her head again she moved towards the back of the darkened alleyway. The route she had planned earlier – climbing the wall- was of no use now. She was in no state to be bounding around recklessly.

Chat though furiously, as the dark bricks loomed over her, seeming to stretch up forever. Usually this climb wouldn't even need brain power, her muscle memory would kick in and she would be over the wall in a matter of seconds.

She peered up and spotted a small niche in the top of the wall. _That will have to do._ She thought, unstrapping her belt from her waist. She started undoing the braiding and was left with more than six meters of strong, durable rope. She had chosen this belt purposely,it could expand in length and it could hold more than 100 kg -she was barely 50. Looking up again, she prepared to throw the belt over the top of the wall, praying that it would work. It had a metal end to hook into things more easily, but if it fell, it would clatter loudly on the ground and attract unwanted attention.

Focusing on her task harder that she had ever focused before she let the belt swing back. She drew in a breath and as she exhaled, she let go, sending the belt arcing up over the top of the wall, silhouetted against the sky.

Chat heard it 'clang' gently on the other side of the wall and she smiled grimly. One step was complete. Next, she gently slid the belt across the top of the wall until it reached a gap where the mortar in the brickwork had been worn away. Usually she would deem this as far too risky, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She pulled the belt through the space until it would give no more, indicating that the metal on the belt was preventing it from moving any further. Taking a deep breath she grabbed the belt as high as she could reach and lifted herself cautiously off the ground. She curled her legs around the rope, and waited, suspended in mid-air for the 'crack' of the brick giving way.

Chat had hung there for more that a minute before she realised that she wasn't going to be dumped unceremoniously on the ground. She looked up, smiling. Quickly, moving her arms and legs in a practiced, easy way, she hoisted herself up the rope and over the high wall. Here, there was a house roof and if she followed a direct path, she could make her way slowly to the warehouse without anymore real risks. Chat smiled again and then winced in pain as the cut in her lip reopened. She shook her head and unhooked her belt from the brick. Slowly, oh, so slowly she started miserably making her way back to Hawkmoth.

* * *

Theo hadn't been an officer in the Paris police force for very long. He had been making a living selling handmade merchandise for fans of..whatever really. They ordered their products though his online shop and then he made them and posted them to their houses. He had been happy there. It had been getting pretty big. He had won a few awards and gained a lot of recognition, especially when the mayor of Paris asked him to make something for his daughter, Chloe. Until one night, when his art room had been burgled. He had stepped in the next morning, ready for another days work when he was met with a blank room. Everything was gone. All the tools and machinery and supplies. There was nothing there.

The wall opposite to the door had been spray-painted with big green letters. "You've been visited by Evilillustrator!" Theo wasn't in the mood to let everything go, just like that. No, Theo was out for revenge. And capturing Chat Noir might just get him the lead he needed. It was known that a few of the main criminals in Paris, such as Princess Fragrance, Evilillustrator and Lady Wifi were connected in some way. A mysterious 'Hawkmoth' had been named as a ringleader in this gang of criminals. It was unknown if Chat Noir herself worked for this 'Hawkmoth' person, but many suspected so. If he caught just one of them, he would attain the lead he needed for revenge. And so, he had shut down is business and joined the police force.

When the call came out that there was an intruder in the Agreste house he had sighed. Another rich family was being burgled. Yay. Whatever. It had been a long night and his shift ended in an hour. He had dutifully piled into the car with the others and they had soon arrived at the Agreste mansion. He was the first one out, the thrill of catching a burglar in the act getting to him; and the adrenaline was fueled even more when it was discovered that none other than Chat Noir was the rouge. He watched the second car screech away and turned back to a seemingly distraught Adrien Agreste. Gabriel was slumped on the ground sobbing and most of the police force were either consoling the shaken Agreste family, or running inside to assess the damage. He looked around. They had more than enough police force to deal with this. Frowning he turned to look after the car. If only he was part of the second class. He could have been a part of the hunt. Then maybe he could question Chat Noir and hopefully find out if there was a connection between her and Evilillustrator. And at long last, he could have his revenge.

He glanced around the streets, his mind unconsciously thinking: _If I wanted to make a quick getaway, where would I go?_ His eyes were instantly drawn to the dark alleyways on either side of the house. He would definitely go there. _Then why did she go the complete opposite way? That can't be safe at all. And plus, she was injured. That's if Adrien was telling the truth. She would be slow and very visible._

He frowned again. Glancing around, he saw everyone else was occupied. Swiftly, he moved to the side of the house, peering into the dark alleyway. He couldn't see anything that looked suspicious. He turned around and strode across the wide lawn to the other side of the house. He slowed as he reached the opening. Looking around the corner, his eyes grew wide as the silhouette of a slender girl with a pair of cat ears on her head was traced against the sky. She was gone in a flash, but he knew he wasn't imagining her.

Not stopping to think about what could happen, he quickly ran to the back wall and started to find a way to climb up.

* * *

Chat didn't know what Hawkmoth would do. He had a terrible temper, and liked nothing better than a verbal dispute. Or a physical one, if he was feeling up to it. He was known for his harshness and most people who worked for him were scared of him. Chat Noir was one of the only people who had earned his respect. She was treated as a human being, a least. Sure, they owed him so much and he fed them, clothed them and organized training for them, but he wasn't a father figure to them although he was the closest person to a father most of them had. Only a select few had ever even seen him.

So, Marinette had good reason to be scared.

 _Why am I even going back? Why should I?_ She shook her head and concentrated on the task at hand. She had to go, all her possessions were in her dorm and she had no way of making a living without her sewing things. Even if she did just disappear into the night Hawkmoth would hunt her down. He always did.

When she first had joined his band of villains, she hadn't liked it one bit, everything she'd ever been taught by her parents had screamed protest. So she had tried to escape with Ayla, the first few times she was sent out. But Hawkmoth would find them, sending out his henchmen until they were brought miserably back to the warehouse. He couldn't afford for any whisper of his presence getting out to the public. So he was extra cautious, never trusting anyone. They all had trackers around their wrists now, something he had introduced the third year she been working for him. Apparently someone hadn't been as scared of Hawkmoth and had gone straight to the police station. They were never heard of again, and Chat shivered, not wanting to even think of what might have happened to them.

At long last, she arrived at the warehouse she called home. It was very early, she wouldn't meet anyone. Those who had jobs would have been back long ago, early rises would be starting to stir, and those who had professions in the bread making industry, or something similar would be up and about now. Hawkmoth would be up. He wanted details instantly, and she was expected to go straight to his office, before going anywhere else. Hesitantly, she knocked on the big wooden door.

His voice greeted her. "Come in."

She nervously pushed the door open, revealing the familiar room. The brown desk still served as a barrier between her and Hawkmoth and the frown was still on his face. Nothing had really changed. She swallowed nervously and her dry throat protested.

"Hawkmoth."

"Chat Noir."

She spoke, her voice trembling slightly with the fear and pressure. "I don't come with good news, sir, sadly I was unable to attain the Peacock broach. I hope you will forgive me sir." She kept her eyes firmly fixed on the ground, her hands clasped in front of her. She had no idea what Hawkmoth was going to do. She heard the chair being pushed back as Hawkmoth slowly rose from his seat.

"You did what-?"

"Yes, sir, I'm very sor-"

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Hawkmoth's usually smooth tones were replaced with a harsh shout that was filled with fury.

"I was unable to complete my mission sir. I'm sorry."

Marinette flinched as a hash slap glanced off her cheek. Tears filled her eyes and she knew she wasn't going to be forgiven easily. She was in for a long night.

 **And that is it my lovelies! Thank you for reading and I hope to see you next time!**

 **missdragongirl xx**


	10. Run

**May I present to you chapter 10 of Chat Burlar! Thank you all so much for sticking with me thus far! And again, thank you to the lovely PerditaAlottachocolate for encouraging me and making sure Chat did her thing! (she is actually so sweet, you should check her stuff out. 3)**

 **Thanks also to TheDancingPrincess for proofreading it! Sadly for some reason my spell checker isn't working properly, so I had to proofread a million times. Plus my 'A' key doesn't work unless you smack it really hard, so that's been a little bit of an issue too. But, even throught all this time and trubulation, I hve managed to complete it! I walked through the valley of the shadow of death to get this to you!**

 **So, haha, please enjoy! :)**

Theo didn't know what he expected to see. He certainly didn't expect to see this scene played out before him though. He peered through the small gap in the curtins and frowned again. This wasn't anything he had ever expected.

He was looking down into a brightly lit office space. A tall man wearing a purle coloured suit was yelling at the girl who had led him to this place. She was indeed Chat Noir, and he could see from her body language that she was speaking to one who had a position above her. His eyebrows shot up at the man reached across the desk that seperated the two and slapped the girl across the cheek. His mind flew a million kilometres an hour. _Who is this man? Is this the 'Hawkmoth' fellow Vanisher was talking about?_

A young girl who called herself The Vanisher had been captured about six months ago while she was robbing a jewery store. She had accidentally revealed some information about some of the most famous criminals in France before she had mysteriously disappeared from her cell, in keeping with her name. She had said something about many criminals in Paris working for this man called Hawkmoth, and now it seems she was telling the truth. There was no way Chat Noir would let herself get beat up like this unless she owed something to this guy. He watched as the man's mouth opened an closer furiously, obviously screaming abuse at the young girl as his hand relentlessly struck her.

Theo frowned. This wasn't right. Everything they had ever discovered about Chat Noir was irrelevant now. This called for backup and probably child support. From the looks of things, this was far more complex than they had ever thought.

Quietly he slipped way to notify his squad.

"YOU'RE USELESS! I TRAIN YOU FOR YEARS AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE I TRUSTED AND YOU HAVE FAILED!"

Chat flinched as another blow glanced off her face. She slumped back, taking a half step away. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't think. Her senses were dulling. She was just so tired. So tired. Looking up at Hawkmoth, she studied the lines of his face, taking in the way his mouth looked as it moved up and down. He looked kind of silly. Another blow pushed her back and she stumbled back into the door.

Her head hit the brown wood and she slid down to the floor. She blinked once. Twice. All of a sudden, everything came back to her. She looked up at Hawkmoth as everything became brighter. His voice was booming in her ears, the carpet's grey colour became more vivid. Her brain wirred and buzzed, moving faster as she became aware of everything her senses were picking up. She reeled slightly, the information almost too much for her to take in. Everything was happening at once and suddenly she thought clearer than she had ever thought before.

 _This man. He has no right to do this to me. Hawkmoth. I did everything for him. I served him for years. He's told me I could leave. Why haven't I just left? I don't answer to him anymore. I can just leave now. This isn't right._

Her eyes narrowed. Swiftly she rose to her feet, staring at Hawkmoth with an intensity that even made him pause in his screaming.

"Why am I even putting up with you?" Her voice was as sharp as knives. She stood straighter, taller. She was her own person. She had done what he asked and she was free. Why had she ever wanted to stay? Why had she cried herself to sleep for a week? This place was evil. And she was finally free.

Taking a step towards the furious man she smiled coolly at him. "Goodbye Hawkmoth. I'm going now. I'm leaving this awful place forever and I'm never coming back."

She walked up to the desk holding her wrist out. "Take it off." She commanded, motioning to the tracker. "I'm not having anything to do with you or your stupid gang anymore." Hawkmoth glanced down quickly, realising she needed his controller to open the clasp. He looked up at her a smug smile slipping onto his face.

He looked back down at her wrist and then up at her. "You really think I'm going to let you go?" He asked.

Chat was on him in a second, his words from earlier spurring him on. "I trained you for years...you are the best...the strongest...the most capable..."

Leaping onto the desk, she spun her legs over the table top and propelled herself toward him. Before he even had time to think, her legs were grappling his neck and she was reaching for his wrist, where his tracker was kept.

But she was a little too late. His hand slammed down on the buzzer on his desk and she knew she only had seconds to act. Twisting her body, she maintained her position on his shoulders and drew back the heel of her boot to smack it soundly into the middle of his stomach. Hawkmoth let out a cry of pain, doubling over. Chat grinned, the pain from before gone. She tucked her feet around the back of his torso and pushed the sharp point of her boots into the small of his back. Frantically, she reached for his wrist, but as she did so, the door was thrown back and five of Hawkmoth's best men raced into the room.

Chat grunted in determination, flinging herself off Hawkmoth and onto the first man. She caught the fist her threw at her and moved past his defense circle. Her arm quickly smacked down on his shoulder, right on the sweet spot and he slumped to the ground. Then the next two were on her. She silently thanked whoever had decided this room was to be made small. The men could only come at her two at a time – the room was small and the desk made it even harder to move around in.

She came in close, jabbing and ducking, weaving though the men like she was performing a dance. Grabbing one man's arm, she used her shoulder to heave him onto his back and forcing the other three to back away. His body 'thumped' on the floor, lying sluggishly and her heart soared as she realised he was out too. The third man stepped across him, trying to reach her, but she danced out of his grasp.

Sparing a quick glance at Hawkmoth, she saw him only just catching up to procedings. Thinking fast, she lept onto the desk, sweeping her leg horizontally and felling him. She turned just in time, as the third man had reached her. He lunged and she slammed her hand onto the back of his head, as the fourth guy aimed a punch at her torso. Her blood pumped and adrenaline coursed though her veins. The third man crumpled beneath her and she grinned at the two left. Seeing everything as if it was in slow motion, she used the fourth man's momention to bash his head on the counter. Now there was only one to go. She surged over the desk, her arm pulling back to land the final blow.

He cowered against the wall and she smiled grimly. This was too easy. Her fist landed on the point she aimed at, and her last enemy was gone.

Chat spun slowly, her eyes alightling on a dazed Hawkmoth. She strode to him, careful to avoid the people slumped on the floor. She held out her wrist.

"Hawkmoth? If you please." She said curtly. Hawkmoth looked at her, finally realising she had beaten him. He sighed in defeat and pulled his coat sleeve back, revealing his tracker. He held his arm out and Chat waved her wrist over his. A small 'beep' was heard and the clasp opened. She smiled and pulled it off, placing it on the surface of the desk.

"This operation will be shut down." She said harshly. "I will tell the police. And you will be punished. I don't care if I go to prison. I can't stand to see you do this to anyone else. This has gone on long enough." Hawkmoth opened his mouth, but she brushed his off.

"Don't try to stop me, because I will make it even worse for you. Goodbye Hawkmoth."

And with that, she turned and raced out of the room, her boots echoing loudly along the dark corridor.

Alya had been alseep when Marinette had come into their dorm. Needless to say, she wasn't asleep any longer.

"What do you mean you're leaving?"

"Just that. I can't stay in this hell hole a second longer. Hawkmoth is after my hide and his henchmen will be coming for me any second now. I'll come back in a few days when everything has cooled down a little bit, to get my other stuff and hopefully bust you all out, but for now I'm only taking a change of clothes, some water, money and a blanket. I can get everything else I need from other places."

Ayla sat up in her bed, swinging her feet off the side.

"I'm coming with you them."

Marinette looked up from where she was packing her backpack. "What?"

"I'm coming with you them." Ayla repeated.

Marinette shook her head. "No, Alya, I appreciate it, but you are safter he-"

"What?! This is about my safety? I can look after myself Mari, and think, it'll be like old times!"

Marinette shook her head. "No, Ayla, it's not just about that. Your tracker will give me away and more importantly, I need you to stay and warn the others."

Alya cocked her head to the side in an unasked question. Marinette explained. "Hawkmoth, he isn;t who we think he is. He's not out for us, he's out for him. He did most of the damage to my face."

Ayla gasped. "What? I thought you said that the Agreste boy did that! Why, when I get my hands on either of them..." She trailed off, her fury too strong for words. She clenched her fists, only calming when Marinette laid her soft hands on her.

"Hey, it'll be okay Al. We'll see each other again. This is only temporary. I'll come back remember, and then we can see if we can get everyone to leave. And then, we will go to the police. Hawkmoth will be ruined if no one is stealing for him. You have to get the others together. Our group at least, if the others won't listen to you." Alya nodded sobery. "You will do this for me?" She asked.

Ayla stood abruptly and threw her arms around her friend. "I'll miss you." She said chokingly. Marinette hugged her back, forcing the tears back. If she started crying Alya would cry and they both needed to be strong for this. She rubbed her back gently, crooning soothing words into her ear. Finally she stepped back. Alya sniffled a bit and rubbed her eyes. Marinette smiled at her and pulled her backpack on. "I'll see you soon. Stay awesome" Ayla nodded.

"Yeah. I will. I love you girl, you know that? You're probably the only reason I haven't gone crazy here. You and Nino." Marinette nodded.

"I love you too. When we're both free we can do something cool together." She walked to the door, peering out into the darkness. "Bye for now." She smiled back at her friend. Alya needed to remember her as strong. Alya had to convince the others. The two girls hugged each other one last time and then Marinette slipped off down the hallway. Alya looked after her friend.

"Stay safe Mari." she whispered.

 _If I had chosen a night to run off in, I couldn't have chosen a worse one."_ Marinette thought, as she curled up tighter. She had walked for about two or three hours, and found a little town, with a 24 hour chemist, where she had bought some medical supplies. She had been lucky she hadn't been caught too, she was still wearing most of her costume. The tail and ears were in her bag and she was wearing a jacket over her top, but she still felt rather consious. The guy at the chemist hadn't paid her a second glance, despite her disheveled appearance.

Now she was curled up next to a wall in a small alleyway. She had chosen it, because the warm air from the factory was blowing gently throught it, but once she was on the ground, the stone floor seeped cold into her bones. The warm air did help, but again, hot air rises, so there was a little layer of cold air just above the floor. Her teeth chattered together and she thought about moving, to try and find a better place. She stirred, looking around to see if she could find something to sleep on, so the warm air would reach her. A dark shape loomed around the back of the alleyway and she stood up to investigate.

As she walked closer, she realised it was a bin. A big, blue, new-ish looking bin. Stopping by the side of it, she stood on her toes to see if it had anything she could use in it. Slowly, as her eyes got used to the darkness, she made out what looked like pieces of cloth. Frowning with confusion, she reached a hand in and touched the contents. Her eyebrows rose with suprise as she realises that, yes, it was indeed cloth. And nice cloth too. But where had it come from? She raised her head to look at the factory next to her. That's right! This was a clothing factory! And that must mean that all the odd and unused bits of material were thrown away.

She put her arm in the bin, intending to pull some of the cloth out to use as protection against the cold floor, but she stopped as her arm detected temperature difference. Marinette smiled and put her other arm into the space. Heck, why couldn't she just sleep in the bin? She inspected the inside. It didn't look dirty, and the plastic it was made out of looked new. She poked her head inside and sniffed. All it smelled like was clothes that have just come out of dryer. It was certainly big enough to hold, her. In fact, it could probably hold at least two or three large adults. Hoisting herself up the side of the continer, she slid over the top and dropped down into the bin. She sighed in bliss. There must be a fan or a vent behind the bin and the inside was toasty warm. She half closed the lid to allow fresh air into the space and then sunk down into the fabrics.

 _This is where I shall stay for now._ She thought. It wasn't bad for someone homeless. Infact, it was pretty good. Snuggling up in her blanket, she sighed contentedly. The fabric was soft and she was tired. It had been a long night.

The next three days passed by reasonably quickly. She spent the first day in the bin, terrified that Hawkmoth had discovered where she had gone. The day after, she relaxed a little and explored the town a bit, buying some food and trading some of Chole's cheaper rings at a small pawn shop they had there. On the third day she made her way slowly back to the warehouse.

She had changed into her spare change of clothes and washed her face in a small stream on the way, best not to draw uneeded attention to herself she thought. As she approached the warehouse she frowned worriedly and quickened her step. There seemed to be a lot of of commotion around the area.

Marinette slowed to a stop as she reached the grounds. Her hert quickened and her hands flew to her mouth in shock. Her worse fears had come true. For, there, swarming in front of her were squardrons of police. And there was no sigh of anyone, inculding Hawkmoth.

 **So there you have it folks! Please tell me how i did, I thrive on reviews! :) Till next time!**

 **xx missdragongirl**


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